


The Stowaway

by Zephyros22



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Badass Din Djarin, Blood and Injury, Bounty Hunters, Canon-Typical Violence, Chapter specific triggers in Author's notes, Din Djarin Needs a Hug, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Follows Season 1 for the most part, Good Parent Din Djarin, Hurt/Comfort, I meant it when I said this was a slowburn, Kidnapping, Mandalorian Culture (Star Wars), Mando'a Language (Star Wars), Mutual Pining, Nightmares, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protective Din Djarin, Rating May Change, Sharing a Bed, Slow Burn, Space Hijinks, Touch-Starved Din Djarin, Whump, in the literal sense, injuries, slow burn awkwardness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:35:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 75,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28456926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zephyros22/pseuds/Zephyros22
Summary: As you gazed up at the foreboding figure, backlit by the cargo bay lights, you heard a low modulated voice growl out:"Who the hell are you?"---You hadn't planned on fleeing for your life, jumping planet, and stowing away on a random vessel. Nor had you planned on being employed by a Mandalorian wanted by the empire for kidnapping a random baby, having an imperial bounty on your head, and tagging along on dangerous bounty hunter missions. Least of all, you REALLY hadn't planned on somehow integrating yourself into the tiny clan of two you found yourself in.The force moves in mysterious ways, you suppose.
Relationships: Din Djarin & Grogu | Baby Yoda & Reader, Din Djarin & Reader, Din Djarin & You, Din Djarin/Original Female Character(s), Din Djarin/Reader, Din Djarin/You
Comments: 352
Kudos: 832





	1. Part One: The Stowaway

Unlike the core worlds, Kaddack wasn't known for its strong oath to the New Republic, thriving trade network, or affluent citizens. In fact, it was quite the opposite, composed of disputes from rival gangs and a lawless fend-for-yourself attitude that allowed bounty hunters and other guild or gang members to thrive. It wasn't uncommon to see unfamiliar faces in your little corner of the universe. Other than being a hub for organized crime, a guild network, and a shelter for ex-imperials, Kaddack was well known as a re-supply and refueling stop. It’s status as a pitstop allowed for a revolving door of visitors to your workplace.

You ran a workshop in a far corner of the city, repairing anything that came your way. You weren’t a master welder by any means, but you had enough skill to keep folks satisfied and put food on the table. As a mechanic your skills were always needed by anyone with a ship, blaster, droid, comm-link, or whatever the case may be. There wasn’t any shortage of labor on Kaddack, with the constant coming and goings of suspicious looking characters. The reliable stream of new customers allowed you to eke out a small living on the outer-rim back world.

That being said, you knew the moment that this Trandoshan darkened your doorway that he wasn't there to request a blaster tune-up. 

It had been a rather uneventful afternoon, the late, hot afternoon sunlight seeping through the cracks of your small building and making the room all the hotter. It was almost time to close up shop, but you had a few more repairs to do and figured you'd keep your door open while you did them. The smell of burnt metal and the smoke from your small soldering gun wafted about the room as chatter floated in from the street outside. Sweat beaded your brow, not only from the temperature, but from the small soldering gun you used to seal a small patch in a comm-link atop your worktable.

A large shadow fell across you as you worked, and instantly you looked up to see a broad figure standing on the threshold to your shop. As your visitor stepped inside you realized he was a Trandoshan, known for their ruthless hunting style and massive strength. A prickle of wariness raised the hair on your neck, but you tried not to let it show as you stood to greet the exceptionally large reptilian currently occupying what little customer space there was in your shop. 

"How can I help you?" You asked nervously, eyeing the blaster rifle strapped to the alien's shoulder. Subconsciously you reached for your small blaster under your workshop counter whilst trying to keep a steady, even smile pointed at your visitor.

The Trandoshan scanned the room, his inhale a rattling hiss as he scented the air. When his eyes finally landed on your smaller form, you felt your muscles automatically tense in readiness. 

"Lookin' for the owner." He finally replied, letting his eyes rake over you. Again, you felt that uneasy hypervigilance nag for your attention. The butt of your blaster felt warm in your shaking grip. Still, you tried your best to return his hard stare and stand your ground. His yellow eyes peered at you, almost amused by your attempt at steadfastness. 

"That would be me." You returned, swallowing thickly. The air prickled with heat and an uncomfortable heaviness. Something was wrong. You could tell, but it wasn't until the Trandoshan spoke again that you realized what it was. 

"Got a message from Graac." He hissed, and as he smiled you could see his rows of sharp teeth. "He says it's time to return your investment."

You paled. Graac, one of the local gang leaders. You had taken a loan out from him to put a payment down on buying your shop. You didn't know at the time that the interest he charged on your balance would eventually grow to be more than you could ever dream of paying. He had been sending out his goons to harass you for a while now, and you had managed to stave them off with promises of another month, another week, just a few more days...

"We agreed that I would pay up at the end of the week." You managed, feeling goosebumps raise on your arms. Your voice sounded hoarse with fear. 

A small series of huffs, what you assumed to be a chuckle, echoed in the Trandoshan's chest. "Bossss was worried about you jumping planet." He replied, tongue flicking out over the 's'. "Said to bring you in warm so you two could 'chat'."

"I see." You smiled shakily. You could only imagine the end result of this ‘chat.’ You had to get out of here, right freaking now. In a heartbeat you raised your blaster, and your assailant reacted instantly, knocking your hand sideways so that your aim went wild.

The shot echoed out onto the street and soon there was screams as the smell of smoldered flesh rose towards the ceiling. You stumbled backwards, dropping your blaster in surprise as the Trandoshan let out a roar of pain.

You missed.

"You'll die for that." He growled, clutching his oozing shoulder. Green blood wet his fingers, gushing out onto your floor.

Dank ferrick. 

The hunter reached for you, but you quickly ducked under his lanky grasp. He was easily twice your size, but in this small space it worked to your advantage. As he roared in anger and overturned your repair table you took the chance to dash forward, leaning low and slipping between his legs. Within a heartbeat you were past him, out the door, and onto the street. 

You didn't even pause to take a breath before you were hurtling down the walkway towards the fleeing crowd. A crash behind you let you know your pursuer was hot on your heels. You didn't have a plan beyond running as fast and as far as you could, knowing if you were caught dying would be a kind punishment. 

You shoved yourself forward into the throng of people, warm bodies pressing in on you from all sides. The crowd jostled its way forward, shouts of confusion and fear ricocheting off the shanty buildings. You spared a glance backwards to see the Trandoshan hurtling out of your shop and onto the street, green blood splattering on the sidewalk. Stifling a scream, you wiggled your way further into the crowd.

You were so screwed.

Elbowing your way past those around you, you searched for an exit. Something, anything to let you escape. You needed to lose this guy, and quickly. Even then, it would prove difficult with his ability to follow your scent. You’d figure that out after you managed to get away.

Your eyes landed on a shadow cast by the burning afternoon sun. You tucked into yourself, making your body smaller and allowing you to slip through the crowd off to your left. You emerged into a small dark alley. Though it was a dead-end, a small waste can allowed you to clamber up onto a windowsill, and then further onto a nearby roof. 

Just as you did the Trandoshan entered into the darkened alcove. You only got a glimpse at his scaled hissing form before you were off and running once more. 

You didn't get a lot of exercise, being cooped up in your repair-shop all day. Yet you could feel the adrenaline pumping through you, allowing your feet to fly over the slanted roofs and balconies of the neighborhood. Below you the crowd murmured with confusion and anxiety, unsure where the source of the blaster fire had gone. In a moment, the noise picked up and the crowd parted to allow the hunter to charge through, keeping pace with you from below. 

He raised his rifle, and you had just enough time to duck as a blaster shot whizzed past your head. Right, rooftops meant clear line of sight. Time for a new plan. Avoiding the next shot, you turned and skid down the slanted metal under you, trying to ignore the hot burn and resulting scrapes on your skin. You looked around wildly, eyes finally catching onto the nearby shipyards. 

"Good a place as any." You muttered to yourself breathlessly. You dropped off the side of the roof into a roll, feeling the impact rattle you briefly. Your legs stung from the landing, and you winced. Yet you pushed yourself to your feet once more, knowing that every heartbeat meant the difference in between escaping and being caught.

As you regained your footing and surged forward once more, you _felt_ rather than heard the click of a blaster behind you. You tipped sideways, but even that wasn't enough to completely avoid the shot that caught the edge of your bicep. You opened your mouth to scream at the searing pain that ripped through your arm, but your voice came out choked and breathless. 

The street spun before you for a moment, and you looked back to see your pursuer skidding down the rooftops in the same way you had just come, rifle in hand. Somehow the sight managed to shake you enough to start running forward once more. Ahead of you, in the shadows of one of the buildings, stood the perimeter fence for the shipyards. You felt your heart sink, the tall mangled fence an impossible obstacle.

You stumbled then, frightened, and unsure. Behind you the Trandoshan's heavy footfalls seemed to shake the ground. You were trapped.

Just as you were about to give up, you glanced back at the fence. To your surprise, a small hole in the base of the fence revealed itself to you. Heart hammering, you lowered yourself and clambered forward on hands and knees. Dirt smeared across your front as you quickly crawled into the gap, remembering to cast up a small plea that you'd make it through before your pursuer caught up to you.

You were almost clear when a solid grip snaked its way around your ankle. You screamed reflexively, feeling your body scoot backwards as the Trandoshan pulled you towards him. You scrambled for purchase with your hands, but they only came back with clumps of dry grass and dirt. For a brief moment the hunter’s grip tightened on your ankle, and you felt something pop inside of it. You yelled in pain, nearly going limp with surprise.

Instead you kicked wildly, and somehow managed to connect your foot with the hunter’s injured shoulder. He grunted, his grip loosening just enough for you to wiggle your foot free and pull yourself through the fence-hole. 

Racing to your feet, chest heaving, you cast your eyes around the shipyard. You needed somewhere inconspicuous, somewhere easy to get aboard. Almost instantly your eyes landed on an old pre-imperial model a ship or two down from you. The steady thrum of engines warming sounded like music to your ears. With the last of your stamina you sprinted forward, watching at the ramp to the ship slowly raised to close. 

Your ankle stung, and it took all your focus not to trip, barely able to put all your weight down on it. In front of you the ship began to lift upwards. You launched yourself at the cargo door, stumbling across the threshold a breath before the ramp tipped too far upwards for you to clamber aboard. Under your feet the ship gave a small shudder as it lifted upwards into the sky. You had made it, just in time.

You sank to your knees then, nearly sobbing with relief and disbelief at your luck. The last strength in your legs gave out as you landed in a small heap just inside the cargo bay. Your breaths came in rapid, shuddering exhales as you tried to collect yourself. For a moment you couldn't help a wry smile, so grateful to have escaped with your life. The ship trembled slightly as it ascended through the atmosphere. You felt the cabin automatically pressurize with a soft hiss.

Moments passed, and in between them you managed to catch your breath. You bent over the floor, propped up by your arms as you heaved for air. Trembling, you got yourself under control. Slowly your heartbeat managed to fall from its stutter back to an even, easy rhythm. As it did you finally got a chance to observe your surroundings with wide eyes. 

It wasn't a big ship by any means. Even if you cleared away the considerable cargo there was just enough space to walk comfortably between the dimly lit compartments. At the far end of the hold was a smaller compartment with a cot inside. A latrine sat beside it. A ladder in front of both presumably led up to the cockpit. 

You stood carefully, taking stock of the supplies around you. Various crates were scattered throughout the cargo bay, holding everything from fuel to rations to ammo. Standing, you slid a hand alone a seam of one of the compartments, noting the various scrapes and dings on the old worn metal. 

This thing had to easily be 30 years old. It was practically and antique. Pre-empire for sure, possibly republic? Still, it seemed to be very well taken care of, its age showing through the various repairs made to its hull and interior. Why bother with something so old when you could trade it for something newer, sleeker, more efficient? Someone obviously had owned this ship for a long time and had a sense of sentimental value attached to it. 

Someone...

You froze, remembering your current circumstances. You had just stowed away on a random ship, with no idea of who the pilot was or its heading. It was unlikely the pilot knew you were aboard, but you doubted they be graciously receptive to a stowaway. A brief, terrifying image of you being jettisoned into space raised gooseflesh on your arms. For a second you wanted to kick yourself. For all you knew you just escaped one near-death experience to land in a completely different but even worse ordeal.

Cursing silently, you looked around the ship again. You needed somewhere to hide. In the corner towards the back was a rather large assortment of boxes and crates. If you were delicate, quiet, you might be able to hide yourself behind them without any detection. If you were lucky, you could escape the next time the ship set down to re-fuel. Maybe you could even slip off without the pilot being any wiser.

Gingerly scooting the crates, you managed to arrange yourself a small enough hole to hide in. You didn’t want to move the cargo too much, afraid of making yourself obvious. With a wiggle, you squirmed your way behind the boxes. A remnant tarp draped over the gap completed the hiding spot. It wasn't a comfortable fit, but it allowed you to (hopefully) remain unnoticed, and that's what mattered. It wouldn't survive close scrutiny, but you prayed it didn't come to that. 

Once you were finally settled you began to take stock of your injuries. Your legs and exposed arms were also a little scraped from your crawling and skidding along rooftops, but you could ignore those easily enough. The main focus was on your shot bicep. Carefully, you prodded the singed gash on your arm, stifling a whine of pain at the contact. You were lucky that you managed to escape with just a scrape. If you hadn't darted out of the way at the exact moment you did, you could have lost your whole arm. You worried that the wound being untreated would make it likely to get infected, but there wasn't much you could do about it right now. 

The other concern was your ankle. It felt tender, hot to the touch. More than that, that lizard had left a smear of green blood against your exposed skin. It burned you skin, even as you gently swiped at it with your fingers. You hissed in pain, quick to smear the remaining fluid on your work suit. Doing so revealed a small burn on the hock of your ankle. You’d have o find some way of treating that as well. Fortunately, it seemed like your ankle was only sprained, not broken. That you could manage.

"Kriff." You whispered to yourself, tilting back your head and letting it ‘thunk’ gently against the hull. You pretty much couldn't have asked for a worse day at this point. Forced to flee your home and everything you owned, nearly killed, shot, and injured, aboard an unfamiliar ship with an unknown destination, and now forced to hide in a cramped uncomfortable position in case some other potentially deadly scenario arose. This beat the days running errands for the gang and begging for scraps on the street. 

Your defeated sigh briefly muffled the sounds of the engines in your ears. From where you sat you could feel their warmth soak into the metal compartments behind you. Their even, steady thrum was relaxing, peaceful even. You shifted slightly, trying to find a convenient angle to rest in. You weren't comfortable, but between the soft, lulling noise, your weary limbs, and the gentle warmth of the engines, you found yourself beginning to nod off. Your eyes felt heavy, and eventually awareness of your surroundings dulled to a dim haze.

. . .

It was the soft 'shhhk' of the cockpit doors opening and closing that eventually awoke you from your dozing. Your awareness raced back to you as you listened to the movement above. Instantly you felt your muscles tighten, and as heavy boots climbed down the ladder from above you held your breath. Once the pilot was in the cargo bay they muttered something and was answered with a small noise from something else. Bantha shit, was there more than one person aboard? If so, your chances at survival were pretty low.

You shrank into yourself, willing your body to become smaller in your little hidey hole. You hoped and prayed that whoever was in here with you would just retire to the small sleeping cabin and not think twice about checking their hold. Yet whoever it was began rifling through compartments in search of something. No such luck.

Your body sat completely rigid as you desperately tried to think of something, anything, that would avoid you getting a blaster bolt between the eyes. Maybe once they got close you could spring up and surprise them? Maybe you could find something to defend yourself with, or somehow escape up to the cockpit and lock yourself in, try to make a deal. If all else failed you could-

A small rustle from the tarp beside you made nearly made you jump in surprise. Instantly you looked over, only to your surprise, be met with a small adorable green creature. 

_What in the stars…?_

Huge brown eyes peered at you curiously, framed by even larger pointed green ears. Whatever it was, it was small, no larger than an infant. The creature had some sort of sack-like shirt/ dressing on its little body. The little thing, a pet maybe? gazed into your hiding spot with an amused coo. It gave you a small, wrinkled smile. As startled as you were, you tried to silently shoo it with a small flap of your hand. 

This of course, only seemed to amuse the creature. It gave a little giggle at your frantic action and though adorable, you feared the attention it would bring you. 

"Shoo, go!" You tried as quietly as possible, but again the creature seemed amused by this. You tried flapping your hand again, only this time it flapped its hand back at you as if playing a game. In any other situation it would be delightful, but this was not the time nor place for that.

If you had been paying attention, you would have heard the tell-tale pause in the footsteps of the person aboard. You might have noticed their careful, easy approach to the crates in the back where you were hiding. Yet you didn't notice either of these things, too focused on trying to dismiss the strange green creature trying to expose you. 

With a sudden yank, the tarp shielding you as yanked upwards and discarded. The overhead lights illuminated your frightened, startled face as you gazed upwards.

Your eyes instantly landed on a T-shaped visor ingrained into a beskar helmet. You couldn't see the eyes of the expression of the person under it, but you could feel their shock and quiet anger at uncovering a stowaway on their ship. The pilot’s larger frame dwarfed your small, hunched form.

Before you could breathe, before you could utter a single word, you were met with the telltale click of a blaster safety. As you gazed up at the foreboding figure, backlit by the cargo bay lights, you heard a low modulated voice growl out:

"Who the hell are you?"


	2. Part Two: The Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something changed in that moment. Time slowed, and you could feel the air moving through your lungs, could feel the heavy, nearly oppressive presence of the Mandalorian in front of you even if you closed your eyes. The vacuum of space seemed to sing silently around the ship, sighing with the light of stars millions of light years away. 
> 
> A sound echoed forth, more familiar to you than anything else in the universe. Your eyes stared in wonder as you looked at the focus of the strange gravity that pulled at your senses, at the source of the sound.
> 
> You looked at the child.

"Who the hell are you?"

You were frozen, eyes locked onto the barrel of the blaster pointed right in between your eyes. Your breath hitched, heart hammering wildly in your chest. Every muscle in your body remained locked with fear. You couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think beyond the image of your cold, lifeless corpse being left in space, forever and ever.

Above you stood an imposing silhouette donned in pure beskar armor. He didn't move, barely breathed, focus entirely locked on your figure hidden in between the stacked crates. His entire form radiated cold calculation and ruthlessness. Anger rolled off of him in waves. If the cargo hold wasn’t already cold, the mere sight of him dropped the temperature another 10 degrees. You could only imagine your apprehender’s expression under his notably T-shaped visor. 

_'A Mandalorian?'_ You couldn't help but think quizzically.

"I asked you a question." You flinched at his tone, feeling panic rise in your chest at the anger that lay in his voice. You swallowed thickly, mouth opening but words escaping you.

"Please..." You began, only to be interrupted.

"Stand up, hands where I can see them."

You complied immediately, shooting to your feet. You winced at the pressure it put on your damaged ankle, and for a second you stumbled as you tried to balance yourself. The motion caused a small bundle to fall off your hiding spot and tumble to the floor next to the small green creature, who let out a small whine of surprise. The Mandalorian's attention was diverted for a moment at the noise, and he nudged the small package out of the way with his foot. Before you could question the action his laser-like focus was back on you.

"You here for the kid?" He asked, voice low. Silently, he adjusted his grip on the blaster in his hand. The motion should have startled you, but you frowned at his words instead, failing to comprehend.

"The kid?" You echoed and cast a glance down at the creature who had exposed your hiding place. The creature returned your stare with a wide, curious gaze. "Is that what it is?"

As if understanding you, the green creature made a small grunt of annoyance. You blinked, trying to discern what the Mandalorian could be talking about.

"No." You answered at last, turning you gaze back to him. You tried to project honesty through your otherwise fearful expression. "I'm not a hunter, I'm just a mechanic."

You couldn't tell if this improved or reduced your chances of being shot where you stood, as your now captor didn't even twitch a muscle. 

"You armed?"

"No." This time the answer was instant. You hadn't even been able to grab your soldering gun on the mad dash to get out of your workshop. You’d been lucky to escape with your life, though you did grieve the loss of your tools and small collection of belongings.

"Why are you on my ship?" He asked, again with that tone that warned any sudden movements or suspicious answers would be met with a single blaster bolt between the eyes. Subconsciously, you gulped.

You paused, trying to find a way to answer that might increase the odds of him deciding not to kill you. 

"I...was being chased." You began, keeping your hands next to your head and trying to maintain eye contact as much as possible. "I had a hit out on me for not paying a debt and a hunter was trying to take me in."

"You have a bounty?" He asked without missing a beat. For a moment, your brow furrowed. Then you felt your stomach drop. Shit, this guy was probably a hunter too. Just your luck. 

"...Not that I know of." You answered simply, with a small shrug. "It was a local gang leader who put out the hit. He sent one of his own men. I'm not even sure if he's registered it yet."

The Mandalorian remained silent, as if silently mulling this over in his head. As he did you looked around the hold, trying to subtly direct your gaze to anything you could maybe grab and ring his bucket with. There wasn’t much. On the far end of the hold lay what looked like a weapon’s cabinet. It might as well have been in another star system. Instead your eyes landed on a compartment just behind him. At first it almost looked like a refresher, though it was missing a door. For a moment you frowned, noting the odd placement. It was only when you saw the panel next to it that you realized what it was.

A carbonite freezer.

Screaming internally, you tried to make eye contact with your apprehender once more. The hairs on your neck stood straight up, and you were sure if you stiffened any further you would never unwind yourself. You thought being spaced would be bad, but the stories you heard of folks slowly degenerating after being frozen in carbonite for too long made every single blood vessel in your body turn into ice. Yup. Worst day ever by far. 

"You could have gotten on any ship. Why mine?" The hunter's low, modulated voice startled you from your thoughts. 

You were sweating at this point, the combined fear of being shot, being jettisoned into space, or being frozen in carbonite making your hands shake and your skin dampen. Still, you did your best to summon a small, charming smile.

"Good luck, I guess?"

The creature below you chittered, and you again wondered how much it understood of your conversation. 

The Mando regarded you silently. You could feel the seconds pass by, and with every heartbeat you were sure you'd finally go on to meet whatever rust bucket lay beyond this life. 

You couldn’t help yourself in taking a moment to observe the hunter. He was tall, seemingly taller with the addition of his armor and helmet. He easily stood over you even as you were standing, a fact which made a small shudder run through you. It was hard to discern much through his armor, but you assumed that, like most bounty hunters, he was extremely fit and probably strong enough to easily subdue you.  
The thing that truly caught your attention, however, was the single piece of skin that showed on his entire person: his hands. Only the tips of his fingers appeared uncovered, free from his fingerless gloves. The skin there was calloused, worn from years of travel and work. It fascinated you, in a strange way. It was the only indication of the man under the beskar, your only clue as to who this man possibly was other than a killer and ruthless hunter.

Your eyes flicked back to the visor of his helmet. Though you couldn’t see his eyes, you felt his gaze pin you to the spot. You wondered if he noticed your lingering gaze on what tiny details you could discern from his figure. For all you knew your wandering eyes may have offended him, erasing what little chances of survival you had. You automatically scrunched your eyes shut, waiting for the final moment before the end of everything.

Instead his free hand reached for his belt. He kept the blaster trained on you but managed to retrieve a small set of cuffs. The sound alerted you, and automatically you took a single step back. In a single fluid motion, he holstered his blaster and spun you. A heavy hand grabbed you from behind. You found yourself pushed against the wall of the ship, both arms dragged behind you and securely fastened together. The motion made you stifle a groan of pain, your wounded arm aching at his rough motions.

Before you could so much as protest he yanked you back towards him, keeping one hand on the cuffs and the other digging painfully into your shoulder. For a single chilling moment, you were certain he was about to toss you in the carbonite freezer. Instead he spun you, so you were in front of him, forcing you forwards. You nearly tripped over yourself, trying to accommodate his forceful direction.

Suddenly, you found yourself sitting on the floor again. With your hands bound behind you and your back to the wall of the ship, you looked up once more at your capturer. He pressed a button on his gauntlet, and you felt the cuffs hum to life and lock behind you, much to your dismay.

Your heart hammered wildly in your chest. You didn't even remember when you had started to breathe so hard. The Mando looked down at you, and for a second you really wished you could see the expression under his helmet. You tried to offer him a nervous smile. 

"...Does this mean you aren't going to kill me?"

He gave the smallest shake of his head, and you couldn't be sure if it was in reply to your question or frustration at current circumstances. You tried to take it as a good sign. 

"I'm taking you back to Kaddack." He replied simply, and you felt the blood drain from your face. 

"Wait, no-" You tried, but his voice spoke over you. 

"I don't have a lot of fuel left for my carbonite freezer, so I’d prefer not to use it." He stated simply, nodding his head towards the compartment. You followed his gaze, swallowing thickly. "If you start making problems, then I'll be happy to have you spend the rest of the trip in an icebox."

With that he turned, directing his attention to the child waddling across the floor of the cargo hold towards him. Instantly you could see him soften, the tension easing slightly from his shoulders. You might have even found it kind of cute if your life weren’t on the line.

"Wait!" You yelped, gaining his attention once more. "You can't take me back! I'll be killed!"

He shrugged. "Not my problem."

Desperately, you tried to wrack your brain for something, anything you could bargain with. 

"I-I have credits!" You exclaimed, trying to sound confident but failing.

"No, you don't." he replied instantly.

"No, I don't." You echoed lamely, disappointment mixing with fear in your stomach. "B-but I could get some! I could fix your ship if you want! I noticed some of your compartments don't close right."

"Don't need it." You were starting to get tired of that calm, blunt tone of his. Still, you struggled to think of anything that would prevent you falling back into the hands of the gang.

"Please." You were practically begging now, shoulders shaking. "I didn't know taking a loan from this gang would bankrupt me. I'm just trying to survive. It's rough out here, you know that."

He didn't answer, merely gazing down at you emotionlessly through his helmet. 

You tried again. "If I go back, they probably won't even kill me. They'll force me to be a dancer, or maybe pit me against a Nexu and watch me be torn to shreds. I..." You trailed off, throat going dry. Every possible scenario of being returned to the gang ended in some terrible torturous fate or a violent death. You couldn’t bear it.

"I don't want to die." You whispered hoarsely, feeling your eyes growing hot with tears. "Please..."

Your life hadn’t been an easy one by any means. You hadn't known your parents, had been forced to fend for yourself for as long as you could remember. The trivial things you had managed to accumulate in this world were all gone, and soon the only thing you had left, your life, would be taken from you too. It really was a miserable fate born from a truly miserable existence.

An uncomfortable lump formed in your throat at the thought. If things had been different, maybe you could have finally found a way off that miserable planet to one of the core worlds, living a simple existence within the safety of the New Republic. Maybe even then you could have found someone, could have been happy.

Any embarrassment you felt about falling apart in front of your captor was drowned by your despair. 

A small, gentle touch against your face shocked you. You looked up, finding that the child had crawled into your lap. You felt a wet smear against your face from where it had tried to wipe away a growing tear. You blinked in surprise, eyes meeting the child's wide, brown gaze. It gave you a small, toothy smile and quiet coo. 

Your face melted into a soft smile, grateful for the small comfort. Silently, you leaned into the child's touch as a way of thanks. 

Above you, the Mandalorian shifted. You turned your face upwards, and instantly your grateful smile was replaced by a look of fear as the hunter gazed down at you. A few, long tense moments passed before you saw a small shift in his posture, something akin to resignation. 

"I can take you as far as the next outpost." He spoke at last, and now his tone was softer, albeit slightly exasperated. "After that, you're on your own."

You could almost see your face light up with astonishment and gratitude in the reflection of his visor. 

"Thank you! Oh stars, thank you! I really am sorry for stowing away on your ship I-" Words tumbled unprompted out of you, so great was your relief. Again, you were interrupted.

"I meant what I said about trouble." He reiterated, nodding again to the carbonite freezer. You sucked in a breath, nodding rapidly, and silencing yourself so he could speak.

"The cuffs stay on.” He continued. “You're going to sit right there until I land. I don't want to hear any noise, any movement, nothing." His tone had hardened again, but you found yourself not minding now that were out of imminent danger. You nodded quickly at his words, trying to make yourself appear as complacent as possible. It wasn’t the best outcome, but it meant you could escape with your life, and that’s what mattered.

"I've got a couple hours before I pass the next outpost" He announced, turning. He spared you a lingering glance. "You might want to rest while you still can. You'll probably need it."

Again, you nodded, trying to tuck your knees up towards your chest without disturbing the child in your lap. The hunter noticed and gave a small gesture to the creature.

"C'mon kid." He muttered, but the child either didn't hear him or chose to ignore it. Instead it focused on you, reaching out and touching your cheek again. You couldn't help but smile with the gesture, feeling somewhat touched by the child's fascination with you. It made a small coo, again giving you a toothy smile.

"Nice to meet you too bud." You offered back and tried to flap your hand from behind you in a small wave. This made the infant laugh, its brown eyes narrowing as it smiled broadly. 

You became abruptly aware of the Mandalorian's gaze on you. Glancing, you saw he had again taken a somewhat stiff stance, seemingly displeased by the child's attention focused on you. You squirmed uncomfortably under his stare, now hyper-aware of your position on the floor, unable to hand off the kid to him.

The hunter took two steps forward, reaching down and carefully lifting the child into his arms. The infant gave a whine of displeasure at being taken away from his new friend. You attempted to give the Mando a chagrined smile, but he turned again. The child peered over his shoulder, visibly displeased at being forcibly removed. 

"I um-!" You spoke, trying to get the pilot's attention. The only indication he was listening was the pause in his footsteps. 

You swallowed, trying to form together a proper sentence. "Thank you." You managed, finally. "I'm really sorry about stowing away, and uh...thanks for not killing me, um Mandalorian...sir."

You didn't notice the way his shoulders lowered slightly, nor could you see the small amused uptick of his lips beneath his helmet. 

"Mando." He spoke, voice soft again. 

You blinked. "Pardon?"

He turned ever so slightly, addressing you out of the corner of his eye. "Just call me Mando."

You tried to hide your smile, albeit unsuccessfully. "Mando." You repeated. "Well in that case my name is-"

You stopped.

Something changed in that moment. You wish you could name it, but the air seemed to shift around you, seemed to whisper against your skin. The bowels of the ship grew louder, the heartbeat in your chest ringing in your ears. Time slowed, and you could feel the air moving through your lungs, could feel the heavy, nearly oppressive presence of the Mandalorian in front of you even if you closed your eyes. The vacuum of space seemed to sing silently around the ship, sighing with the light of stars millions of light years away. 

All at once your senses became hyper-focused. Everything around you felt, smelled, tasted, sounded too loud, too much. Yet the center of it all lay not in you, but with one of the other two beings on the spacecraft. A sound echoed forth, more familiar to you than anything else in the universe. Your eyes stared in wonder as you looked at the focus of the strange gravity that pulled at your senses, at the source of the sound.

You looked at the child.

"How..." You whispered, eyes staring in disbelief at it's wise brown gaze. 

"How do you know my name?"

\- o - o - o - o -

Parsecs away, amidst an overcast grey sky, a grim figure stood atop the bridge of an Imperial cruiser. Gloved hands folded neatly in front of him, he observed the churning dark clouds that promised and imminent thunderstorm. Around him, the bridge bustled with a quiet focused atmosphere. Every imperial on the ship hunkered down over their respective tasks, trying to avoid any noise that might attract the infamous temper of the Moff. Gideon’s face remained blank, although his thoughts churned much like the skies around the ship. Somehow his gaze seemed to stare past the incoming storm into some unknown future, teeming with limitless possibilities. 

"Moff Gideon." A voice greeted quietly. The Moff closed his eyes for a moment, letting the storm inside his mind settle before he turned to the deck officer with a data pad tucker under her arm. His eyes focused on her, a silent indication to continue. 

"We've received a transmission from one of our spies on Kaddack." She began after saluting. "They said they spotted Din Djarin's ship lifting off from the shipyards there."

The Moff raised a single eyebrow, nonplussed at the information. They received at least a dozen reports a day of a possible sighting of the former guild-hunter. Either the Mandalorian was light-speed jumping around the outer rim, or his information network was getting lax. He'd have to weed out his weakest operatives soon. Only the strong would receive the privilege to work in the foundation of the New Empire. 

"And?" He said at last, unimpressed. His voice exuded authority, but in this instance, impatience.

The deck officer swallowed visibly before continuing. "This transmission said that there was a stowaway on the _Razorcrest_. One of the local gang members reported seeing them climb aboard just before take-off."

Again, this failed to impress the Moff. 

"A stowaway." He repeated with disinterest. "You came all this way… to report to me on a stowaway aboard the Mandalorian's ship." Gideon felt ire rise within him at the utter incompetence of his intelligence network. Turning, he didn’t bother to hide his displeasure at the officer's work. The dark saber hung heavy at his hip, and for a brief moment he considered activating it and letting the blade slice through this officer's neck.

"I thought so as well, sir. Then I ran this person's name and picture through our Imperial search record database." Now this caught Gideon's attention. He turned back, eyes narrowing on the nervous imperial in front of him. 

She suppressed at shudder, withering under his scrutinous gaze. "I've yet to complete my full investigation, but I wanted to report on what I've found so far." With trembling hands, the officer offered the Moff her data pad. 

Gideon took it without a moment's hesitation, eyes quickly scanning the contents of the profile brought up. A picture of your face sat atop the screen, offering a calm smile as you gazed at the camera. As the Moff reached the bottom of the report, a small smile pulled at his lips. 

He turned to the officer again and took a small pleasure in the way they fidgeted under his direct gaze. 

"Excellent work, officer. Please update me on your full report by the end of the day."

The deck officer's eyes widened at the praise, and then quickly sank at the deadline. It had taken her hours just to find this much information. Combing through the vast and aging imperial database could easily take another week. Yet the Moff gave no uncertain terms on the deadline. She could only offer a salute as she hurried off to scrounge what little she could before the sun's boiling heat dipped below the horizon. 

Gideon returned his gaze to the skyline before him. As he did, thunder began to rumble around the ship. The grey clouds had darkened to thick, roiling thunderheads. The electricity in the atmosphere seemed to mimic his hidden excitement. Finally, after days without a lead or any indication as to the asset's whereabouts, there was now an interesting turn of events. 

He turned over the sound of your name in his head, secretly relishing the sound as thunder echoed outside the ship. Then, Grand Moff Gideon did something unusual.

He smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone have has shown interest in this fic!! The feedback so far has been AMAZING! I'm really looking forward to showing you where this story goes. So far this particular section begins post season 1 Episode 5. It will (loosely) follow the rest of season one, and hopefully beyond! I've got one more chapter of exposition before we really get into the plot. 
> 
> Oh and one more thing. I'm currently writing this by myself, and don't have a beta. My editor for my other SW fic is super busy and I don't want to burden her with ANOTHER fic to beta. So if you have some or even a little editing experience, please reach out! This fic would really improve with a second pair of eyes. Comment below and I'll be in touch!
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	3. Part Three: The Hunted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Instantly, you froze. A low voice from behind you spoke. "Get up."
> 
> You couldn't move. Even if you wanted to, your legs seemed to lock up. 
> 
> "You can't have him." You replied, hating the way your voice shook. You wrapped your arms together around the child, as if doing so could protect him. 
> 
> "I'm not interested in the kid." The person behind you replied and pressed the barrel a little harder into your spine. "It's you."

The Razorcrest let down a low _thunk_ and a whine as it set down in Hangar B-3 of the space station. Various sounds of the ship powering off rumbled and grumbled over each other. You could feel the thrusters disengage and the ship settle from where you sat on the floor. You had no idea where you were but assumed from the lack of descent that it was some way-faring space station in the middle of the outer-rim.

It was difficult to tell how much time had passed since you had been found and detained. With no windows, no chrono-keeper, and definitely no sunlight, you had no clue how long you had been sitting on the floor of the cargo hold. You did know was that it had been too long for your comfort. Your arms ached from being kept behind you for so long. Your hands had long since fallen asleep, the pins and needles sensation slowly crawling up to your shoulders. You ached all over, no position quite comfortable enough to doze off or to rest in. 

Footsteps above you alerted you to your captor's presence. He muttered something inaudibly to what you assumed to be the child, and then slowly made his way down the ladder. You shifted, trying to look at least decently alert as he landed on the floor of the cargo bay and turned to you. 

"We're here." He announced unceremoniously and motioned for you to get up. 

Carefully you put your good leg under you and wobbled your way to a stand. Immediately, your ankle flared with pain. A cursory glance downwards showed that an odd discoloration had appeared around the reptilian blood smear on the hock of your ankle. You could put some pressure down on it but knew it would be a pain and a half to walk around on it. 

If Mando noticed he didn't give any indication. Instead he motioned for you to turn around. Gingerly, you turned your back to him. After a pause, the cuffs around your wrists beeped and unlocked. You waited for a moment longer as the hunter removed them, calloused fingers brushing over the inside of your palms. As soon as you were freed you gave a cursory roll of your shoulders, wincing as feeling returned to your hands. 

"Thank you." You offered, turning, and using a hand to rotate your opposite wrist. He merely nodded and made his way past you and across the hold. Quickly, he punched in a couple buttons on an exposed panel and stood still as a ramp began to open and extend downwards into the hangar. 

While you waited, a small touch on your leg alerted you to the presence of the child. You paused, looking down into his pleading wide-eyed stare. How he had gotten down from the cockpit you had no idea. He whined plaintively up at you, and in return you offered him a reassuring smile. 

You turned your attention back to the ramp, hobbling over and leaving the kid behind. He whined in protest, but you managed to ignore the infant, coming to a pause beside the Mandalorian. Beyond the ramp and into the hangar lay a bustling scene of mechanics and flight techs, all busy with their respective tasks. Past the hangar stood an entrance to what looked to be the main section of the space-outpost. 

You paused for a moment, uncertain. You didn't have a plan of any kind so far other than survive, and the unpredictability of the path ahead made you somewhat nervous. Self-consciously you glanced to the hunter beside you, who merely nodded down towards the bottom of the ramp and into the hangar. 

Again, you glanced down, but before you exited out of the ship you turned to the hunter beside you.

"Thank you." You said earnestly, giving him a smile. "For everything."

His blank faced helmet gazed back at you wordlessly.

With your other hand holding your injured arm, you staggered down the ramp. You caught a few cursory glances from the workers around you. A self-conscious blush warmed across your face. You probably looked like a mess right now, stumbling around on an injured leg, your arm shot, various scrapes and bruises forming across your arms and legs. That wasn't including your departure from a unique ship with a distinctive bounty hunter standing in the entryway. 

Your feet touched the floor of the hangar, and you looked around, a little lost at your surroundings. Maybe someone around here knew where you could find some work, or at least somewhere to get some medical treatment. 

"Wait."

You blinked in surprise, twisting to look back at the modulated voice that had just called out to you. The Mando stood atop the ramp, looking directly at your face.

"Wait." He repeated, and then disappeared inside the hold. After a moment he reappeared, a small package in hand. From where he stood he tossed it to you, and after a moment of fumbling, you caught it. Turning it over in your hands you peered down at the contents. He'd given you a med pack. 

You lifted your gaze back up to him, wide eyed with surprise. 

"Oh! Uh, thank you!" You called back and stuffed the med pack inside a pocket of your work-overalls. "And um, safe travels!"

He nodded once more, and you turned again, now feeling a bit better about your situation. Your eyes caught a sign for a cantina down towards the main hub of the station. That was probably the best place to start if you wanted to find work and something to eat. 

Casting one final, lingering glance at the Razorcrest, you carefully made your way out of the hangar towards the center of the space-station. 

\- o - o - o - o - o -

Din watched as you eventually faded into the central hub beyond his sight. Around him the noise of the hangar went on, various workers loading and unloading cargo from other vessels, the smell of wrought metal filtering into his helmet. The mechanics nearby eyed him curiously but didn't try approaching. 

A strange sense of unease washed over him. He couldn't help but wonder if he had made the right decision. He'd had stowaways before, but most of the time he'd been able to catch them before he took off. The unlucky few that had stayed aboard and tried to commandeer his ship had met with a short and unfortunate end. He was pretty intent at first on doing the same with you, but the wide-eyed fear in your expression had made him pause. You hadn't intended to rob him or steal his ship. In fact, he remained pretty convinced of your story. He'd seen it a hundred times before. Some poor fool got involved with the wrong crowd, and after one too many mistakes ended up being hunted down and made an example of. 

He felt a little bad for you, if he was being honest. From his brief interactions with you, you seemed nice. You just had managed to stumble into a tough situation. As much as he was loathed to admit it, the kid's attempt at befriending you hadn't hurt either. The last thing he wanted to do was put a blaster bolt in someone that the child had taken a liking to. 

Still, he hoped he hadn’t just made a big mistake. For all he knew you were about to go and tattle on him to the authorities in exchange for a hot meal and a shower. It was probably best that he left as quickly and quietly as possible. 

"Let's go, kid." Din muttered to the child in the hold, only to turn and find it empty. Panic rising, he spun again, desperately trying to place his charge. "Kid?" The child was nowhere to be seen.

Turning on his visor he looked at the ramp of the ship. Tell-tale orange heat-prints showed up instantly, leading down into the hangar. Din looked up, zooming in on the path beyond, watching as a very small form wandered into the central hub.

"Dank ferrick!" He cursed, turning off his visor and immediately giving chase.

\- o - o - o - o - o -

You somehow managed to meander your way to the space station cantina, ignoring the stares of the various passerby around you. The space-station wasn't large, but considering your little time spent in space, it seemed gigantic. Nevertheless, you had ended up finding the only cantina in the entire station. It was dimly lit, with several patrons occupying the various booths in the corners of the bar. They turned to glance at you as you entered, most giving you a curious once over before returning to their conversation and drinks. 

You wandered up the bar, catching the eye of a Twi-lek waitress as you leaned on the counter. 

"What can I get you?" She asked bluntly, casting you a glance, and returning her eyes to wiping down a spare glass. 

"I was actually wondering where I might be able to find some work? I’m a mechanic." You asked hopefully. "And uh, maybe something to eat? Although I don't have any credits..."

The waitress cast you an annoyed look but nodded over to a table. "Wait there." She instructed, and you tried to give her a thankful smile before she turned away and headed towards the back. 

You limped your way over to said table, plopping down into a chair with a sigh of relief. For a moment you let your arms hang at your sides, happy to relish in finally being able to sit comfortably. As the pressure faded from your ankle, and your muscles began to lessen in their ache, you sat up and retrieved the small med pack from your pocket. 

A small smile crept onto your lips. You hadn’t expected a nice gesture from the Mandalorian, but you had to admit it was a welcome surprise. It definitely improved the image of a cold-hardened hunter you had first encountered on the ship. Opening it and digging through, you found a painkiller injector. Holding the tip between your teeth, you managed to get the top off and inject the medication into your upper arm. Within moments you could feel the cool relief wash over you, dulling the pain from a sharp ache to a low throb. 

As you set about tending to your arm, ankle, and various other scrapes, you let your eyes wander around the cantina. It looked mostly like mechanics, flight-techs, and the odd traveler. It was sparse. Obviously, this wasn't a place folks stayed for long. 

One person in particular caught your eye. Another traveler eyed you directly from across the cantina. A human male, dark in the eyes with an unreadable expression. His gaze was locked on you, and as your eyes met you couldn't help but wither a little under his intense stare. You hoped he wasn’t drunk and looking at you as an easy target. Trying your best to ignore him, you finished wrapping your ankle with a bacta-patch.

Just as you were finishing, a small whine sounded from beside you. Instantly you looked down, your eyes met with a curious soft brown gaze. 

"Kriff!" You gasped in surprise, and instantly covered your mouth. The child tilted its head at you from the floor, hopefully not understanding the curse you just muttered.

"What in stars are you doing here, little guy?" You mumbled, brow furrowing. The infant merely cooed at you, reaching his arms upwards as if wanting to be picked up. Carefully, you obliged, trying not to jostle the little fellow. Again, the child made a noise of happiness, pleased to be sitting in your lap. You stared down, utter confusion clear across your face. 

"How in the world did you get here?" You asked, as if he could answer. "Does Mando know you wandered off? You're probably going to be in big trouble once he finds you."

As if understanding, the infant's ears lowered in dismay. A spike of regret ran through you. 

"That's okay though!" You tried to reassure him. "Once I get a lead on where I can find work, we can go find him together. That sound good?"

The child gurgled happily, reaching out his hands again as if wanted to touch your face. You smiled. Looking around the bar again, you didn't see any indication of the Mando. The various patrons didn't seem to notice that you now had a companion in your lap. Carefully, your eyes slid over to the booth where the odd traveler had been sitting, only to find it empty. 

At the same second, a cold hard barrel pressed into your back. 

Instantly, you froze. A low voice from behind you spoke. "Get up."

You couldn't move. Even if you wanted to, your legs seemed to lock up. A thousand thoughts tumbled violently in your head. Did the gang already register a bounty on you? They weren't usually that efficient. You blinked, remembering the Mandalorian had said something about the child. Was that what this person was after?

"You can't have him." You replied, hating the way your voice shook. You wrapped your arms together around the child, as if doing so could protect him. 

"I'm not interested in the kid." The person behind you replied and pressed the barrel a little harder into your spine. 

Your face fell. It was you. You had managed to get away from the Trandoshan, had managed to get off the planet, and even then you had already been caught. 

"Listen." You began, trying quickly to dissuade the person out of shooting you on the spot. "Graac said he wanted me alive, right? There's no need to bring the kid into this. Just let me get his back to his care-taker and-"

"Who the hell is Graac?" Your assailant asked bad-temperedly. "I doubt he can do better than three-thousand imperial credits."

...What?

Before you could even begin to puzzle his words, he repeated himself once more. "Get up."

You hunched further over the child, his worried whine ringing in your ear. Your eyes scrunched shut, as if doing so could block out the hunter. "Please." You said again, voice desperate with fear. 

A hand reached over and grabbed your wrist in a vice-like grip. You suppressed a gasp of fright as you he attempted to yank you to your feet. 

"Let them go." A modulated voice growled. 

You cracked open one eye, looking up to see the Mandalorian standing over you both. A hand rested pointedly on the holster attached to his hip. You raised your head, looking up to see the hunter staring down your assailant. 

"Or what?" The man holding your wrist spat and tightened his hold to make a point. His brutal grip made your arm ache. 

"That hurts." You spoke, voice small. 

"Wanna find out?" Mando spoke, voice even but tone betraying his anger. "Let. Them. Go."

You hadn't noticed the other patrons in the bar slowly rising, some going as far as to draw their weapons. The air was thick with tension. The small chatter and conversations faded, being replaced by a heavy silence. You hugged the child close to you, trying to shield him. 

"Looks like you're outnumbered, Mando." The hunter holding you sneered. You looked up at the Mandalorian nervously. Carefully, he twisted his wrist, and a small triangle of lights appeared on his bracer. 

"Can't say I didn't warn you." He replied simply, just before all hell broke loose. 

A series of lights exploded out of the bracer, and instinctively you bent over and tried to protect yourself and the kid. You could hear whistling and several sounds of impact around you as the missiles found their targets. Quickly, you were yanked to your feet. 

"Go!" The Mando shouted, pushing you towards the doorway. "Take the kid!"

You paused for a moment, watching the remaining patrons converge on him. He turned again and looked directly at you as they approached. 

"NOW!"

Not needing any more encouragement, you spun and began to race back towards the hangar. Sounds of a brawl broke out behind you. In your arms the child cried out as you grasped him tight and sprinted in the direction of the Razorcrest. 

The people around you saw your approach and quickly moved out of the way, turning their attention to the fight which had spilled out onto the walkway outside the cantina. Your ankle stung sharply as you ran, but you tried to ignore it, wracking your brain to retrace your steps to the ship. Behind you someone shouted, and soon a glance over your shoulder proved you had a pursuer. 

Panic rose in you as you ran. More than fear for yourself, you were terrified at the thought of the child in your arms being hurt, and even more so at the thought of his caretaker being killed or unable to come retrieve his charge. 

Quickly, you wove your way through the crowd. You could feel yourself slowing because of the sharp ache in your ankle. Yet you pushed onwards, dodging bodies and equipment. The person behind you yelled, trying to get you to stop. You ignored them, focused only on trying to get back to the ship.

Soon enough, however, you could feel them closing in behind you. Fear coursed through you as a hand reached out to try and seize you from behind. A single shot rang out and the person behind you yelled, the sound of their body hitting the walkway following a moment after. You turned, finding that the Mandalorian now followed you a ways behind. He waved wildly at you, motioning for you to keep running. 

Breath now coming in short, sharp gasps, you managed to reach the hangar. The mechanics and workers seemed to have heard the commotion, and now they looked at you with a mixture of surprise and intent. You barreled past them, avoiding one wild lunge by a younger Rhodian. You ascended the ramp, pausing at the top and looking back for the ship's pilot. 

You watched him enter the hangar, using his shoulder to shove aside one worker who approached him with a heavy wrench. Still, he managed to get caught by two more. A tall, broad Zabrack managed to grab him from behind, wrapping his arms around the Mandalorian’s front. Another worker approached him from the front, wielding a knife. 

Mando raised a leg and planted a kick square in the worker's chest, sending him tumbling backwards. Jerking his head, he managed to connect his beskar helmet with the Zabrack's jaw, loosening his hold enough for him to spin and bring the alien's head down onto his knee with a sick _'crack'_. 

"Close the door!" He yelled at you, startling you out of your stupor. You turned, hand smashing down on the keypad and watching the ramp begin to withdraw and rise. Mando launched himself at it, tumbling inside just as it closed. Pushing past you, he quickly ascended the ladder up to the cockpit, motioning for you to follow him. Holding the child in one arm, you clambered upwards into a small compartment with a door on either side. 

To your left Mando was in the pilot seat, switching on a number of panels and doing a very quick pre-flight check. 

"Strap in." He barked at you, and you slid into a seat behind him, the kid balanced in your lap. You could hear the commotion from outside as the remaining patrons from the bar seemed to catch up with you. A blaster bolt dinged off the ship, making you hunch and cover your ears. 

With a jolt, the ship lifted upwards. You wobbled in your seat as the Razorcrest exited past the hangar gate and into space. An alarm sounded, and your pilot had just enough time to swerve around a turret bolt that sped past the ship. 

"Hang on." Mando spoke, reaching up to switch on a few different buttons and punching in a set of coordinates. With a low hum the ship seemed to lean backwards for a moment before launching forwards, stars blurring around you as the Razorcrest sped off into hyper-space. 

It took a few moments for things to settle. Both of you were breathing hard, adrenaline still racing through your veins. The ships' alarm system turned off, leaving you both reeling from the shock of what had just transpired. Blue hyperspace light hurtled past the window of the cockpit, reflecting in the metal of your captor turned rescuer's visor. 

He spun towards you, making you flinch. Yet instead of directing his voice at you, he looked down at the child in your lap. 

"I told you do not go wandering off." He snapped, and the infant’s ears lowered in dismay. "You realize how much trouble you could have gotten in? Dank ferrick, next time you're staying in the ship, whether you like it or not."

You stiffened automatically, even though you knew his rant wasn't directed at you. That was, until-

"You." His gaze jerked upwards to meet your wide-eyed expression. For a moment you were sure you were about to get the verbal lashing of your lifetime, but a moment passed and the Mando softened. 

"You protected him. Thank you."

You couldn't help blinking in surprise. You stumbled for words for a second before finally replying. "N-no problem." Yet as you played back the events in the cantina you felt compelled to add "But they weren't after him."

Mando's gaze focused on you. "What?"

You nodded to reiterate. "I thought it was the gang, but it would take them at least a day to get out a hit on me. They hunter at the bar, he said-" You stopped, recognition making your stomach sink. Oh stars, you thought being chased by Graac and his goons was bad. 

Mando stared at you. "He said what?"

You swallowed thickly, feeling yourself pale. "He said it was an Imperial bounty."

Despite not being able to see his face, you could sense the surprise from the hunter opposite you. You could almost feel him turning over the information in his head, trying to make sense of it just as you were. 

"Why would an imperial remnant want a mechanic like you?" He asked incredulously. 

You shook your head. "I...I don't know." You replied shakily. "I've never even run into the Empire before. I..." 

Mando regarded you for a moment longer before turning forward in his seat and letting his head fall backwards with a sigh. His previous curiosity seemed to fade into an annoyed resignation. He muttered a curse under his breath.

A heavy silence followed. You didn't want to speak and disturb his contemplation, and he remained otherwise silent. In your lap the child had quickly gotten over being scolded at and was now reaching for a small metal ball screwed onto one of the control levers. You watched him, letting his antics briefly distract you from the situation at hand. 

"You can understand him." Mando spoke abruptly. You looked up at him, surprised. 

When you had heard your name in the hold earlier, you had originally dismissed it as a strange flux and had told as much to the child's caretaker. After being followed by the kid into the space-station, and witnessing his clear attachment to you, you were no longer sure. 

The infant in question looked up at you with a curious gurgle. You stared down at him, pondering what such things could possibly mean. As if sensing your unease, the child turned and put his hands on your front, leaning in an what seemed to be a hug. You softened at the gesture, smiling. 

"It seems so." You replied softly, reaching up a hand to gently pat the child on its head. "I don't know how but...I think he knows my name."

Mando observed you both, and again you found yourself wishing you could see his expression under his helmet. Did he always keep that thing on?

The child had now settled in your lap, head leaning against your abdomen. You could hear him begin to gently snore and you stroked his head. You stared down at him affectionately, feeling an odd emotion rise in your chest that you couldn't place. 

Eventually you returned your gaze to the Mandalorian, who had his head cocked at the both of you as if pondering something in his head. You didn't have to wait long for him to voice his thoughts, but his words made you nearly fall out of your seat in surprise.

"You want a job?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I just wanna say that in an effort to remain inspired, I've been reading other Mando x reader fics. I realize now that there's a number of fics out there with achingly similar premises and titles. I swear I never intended to plagiarize any ideas from my fellow writers. The whole 'stowaway' premise is actually a plot excuse for a much larger and more complicated story-line that is being set up. If you are the author of a work that you feel was stolen or otherwise pirated from, you have my deepest apologies. I won't stop writing this story, as I'm nearly certain it will end a lot differently than your own, but in the meantime I'm sorry if it looks like I took your story premise and ran with it. If you'd like to discuss this further, please leave a comment below and I'll get in touch. Again, my apologies.
> 
> With that out of the way, we've now completed our exposition! After this we'll have to get a little bit more story building out of the way, but otherwise we'll get right into the plot and some relationship building. Thank you to everyone who has shown support for this fic. Your comments and feedback really keep me going and keep me motivated to continue. 
> 
> Finally, I am still searching for a beta reader. If you have some editing experience or can read for flow, dialogue, etc', please comment below and let's chat! This work could really improve with a second set of eyes, and having someone to bounce possible plot ideas off of REALLY helps me in constructing the rest of my plot outline. :D
> 
> See you in the next update!


	4. Part Four: The Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mando remained silent, his gaze at you unfaltering. You self-consciously avoided his stare, choosing instead to look down at the child happily munching away in your lap. 
> 
> "....(Y/n)."
> 
> You looked up, surprised. Mando tilted his head at you, as if he wasn't the one to just speak your name with such deliberateness. He looked down at your open, wide-eyed gaze for a moment too long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw: Graphic depictions of violence and life-threatening fire scenario until italics end.

_Someone screamed your name._

_You could barely hear them above the roar of the fire that licked the interior of the building around you. Shapes shifted hazily, the image before your eyes barely real to your terrified gaze. The sounds around you, the screaming and roar of the conflagration registered only as an all-consuming outcry._

_This place had been your home, with its elegantly tall pillars and beautifully decorated corridors. The hours you had spent roaming its halls and gazing with wonder up at its ancient architecture seemed fleeting now that you were trapped inside the blaze that ravaged the delicate tapestries and ornately carved archways._

_You stood amongst the burning wreckage, face lit orange by the flames. Chaos reigned around you as the building's residents and caretakers tried to flee from the fire and those who had created it. A morbid, burning sensation filled your stomach at the pandemonium that engulfed you. You couldn't concentrate, couldn't move. Your lungs burned with the smoke and ash, hair ruffled by the blazing heat of the flames as you witnessed the utter destruction of what lay around you._

_You felt bodies push past you, all charging towards the main entrance. There too they were met with the sounds of blaster fire and screams. Still, more tried to make their way forward to avoid the all-consuming rage of the inferno before you. None tried to drag your small form forward, too focused on trying to save themselves. One taller individual used your shoulder to push themselves forward, leaving a bloody stain across your clothes. You barely even noticed, eyes remaining locked on the growing blaze, flames licking at the hem of your clothes._

_Again, you heard your name being called desperately above the discord. As searing orange tendrils began to lick at your fingers a hand pulled you backwards and you were falling, falling into an infinite darkness with no end. You tried to scream, but your throat was choked with the blaze burning you from the inside out, unable to breath. You tried to suck in air, desperately swallowing with no oxygen able to reach your lungs. Gasping, you spasmed violently, the name in your ears ringing forth shrilly, with you unable to reach as you-_

\- o - o - o - o - o -

You gasped loudly, cold air instantly flooding your chest as you bolted upright. The motion made your head connect with something above you with a dull _clang._ Instantly you were once again on your back, the pain of the impact rattling you. The shock of the frigid air and your gasp at the sudden pain flaring across your forehead made your chest tighten, throwing you into a coughing fit.

As you struggled to breathe your eyes slowly adjusted to the dim lighting of the ship cabin. Frigid air licked at your arms as you tried to get your lungs to finally settle. For a moment you attempted to reconcile the lingering image of a building on fire with the chilled air inside the ship. It took you another few seconds to try and realize where exactly you _were_.

As your breathing evened out, and your heartbeat stopped throbbing in your ears, the past few day's events slowly floated back to you.

Right. The Razorcrest. You had stowed away, and after a dramatic turn of events, had ended up in the employ of the Mandalorian bounty hunter who had found you aboard his ship.

You cast an arm over your eyes with a sigh, trying to gather yourself. Your sleep-riddled brain continued to conjure phantom images of chaos and fire, figures around you shadowy and unrecognizable. If you let yourself slip back onto the verge of consciousness you could almost feel the scorch of the inferno that had tried to claim you.

"It's just a dream." You whispered hoarsely. "Only a dream."

You can't remember the last time this particular dream had plagued you. When you were a child you spent many nights sleepless, fearing the horrifying images your brain supplied as soon as you closed your eyes. As the years passed they had become infrequent, and after a while you had assumed they had disappeared altogether. With your rotten luck, that didn't seem to be entirely the case.

Shivering, you reached for the threadbare blanket you had uncovered your first night aboard the ship, only to find it discarded on the floor. You turned over, light from the cockpit catching your eyes and briefly blinding you. Morning, already.

You gave up your pursuit of a few more minutes of rest. You doubt you’d be able to sleep anyways, what with the lingering images of flame haunting your closed eyes. Instead you twisted, being carefully not to run your head into the bulkhead over you (again). Rubbing the sleep from your eyes you reached for your shoes, dragging on the worn leather with frigid fingers.

Soon you made your way beyond the small storage area and towards the cockpit, which was noticeably empty. Beyond the windows you could see the barren landscape of the moon Mando had set the ship down on. The system's sun was well above the horizon, casting the sky a strange pinkish hue.

You carefully climbed down the ladder into the cargo area below, being careful not to put too much pressure on your still slightly swollen ankle. It had been a few days since you first treated it, and though improved, it remained not fully healed. As you descended you noticed the cargo door open, letting natural light filter into the otherwise dim compartment. You limped towards the entrance, blinking against the sudden change in brightness.

Outside lay a haphazard semi-circle of crates and boxes, their contents uncovered but remaining neatly packed. At the center sat Mando, a sniper rifle partially deconstructed in his hands as he cleaned it. As you appeared at the mouth of the cargo doors he looked up, nodding once in your direction before returning to his task.

"G'morning." You offered, somewhat blearily. This didn't earn you a response, however.

You shrugged. In the few days that you had been in the hunter's employment you had learned he really wasn't one for conversation. He spoke only when necessary, offering little detail about himself, his work, or his plans beyond landing on a random moon to lay low following the commotion in the space-station cantina. You didn't really mind. After all, you had a lot to think over in regard to recent events.

Such as the case this morning. You briefly perused the various supplies laid outside of the ship, finding the one stocked to the brim with ration bars. Taking one, you settled down on one of the various crates. Beside you, the child dozed quietly in his bassinet. At least someone got to sleep in.

As you ate you turned your attention back to Mando, observing him as he carried out the delicate process of cleaning the rifle in his lap. He had been steadily going through all of the weapons in his cache over the past few days, fine tuning, cleaning, disassembling, and assembling again. You quietly admired his delicate but precise movements in doing so, taking great care in maintaining the firearms. It was clear he had profound respect for his weapons, and you wondered if it was a result of his culture.

You hadn't known much about Mandalorians. You had heard rumors, of course. They were unparalleled fighters, ruthless and precise. You once overheard a street vendor talk about how the ancient people of Mandalore had hunted sorcerers long ago. You weren’t sure how much of that was true. The idea of a secret galactic order of magic-wielders seemed far-fetched to say the least. You did know that Mandalorians had a strict code of honor, though nobody seemed to really know what that meant. Beyond that your knowledge was sparse.

You had managed to notice some things within recent days, however. For one, Mando never took his helmet off, not even in front of the child. Come to think of it, you hadn't even seen him remove it to eat. Maybe that wasn't a culture thing, you pondered, biting off another chunk of ration bar. Maybe he was just really ugly under that tin-can of his.

The thought made you chortle a bit, which drew Mando's attention. He paused what he was doing, observing you. You covered your mouth, as if you could hide the snicker you just made. It was always slightly uncomfortable being the subject of his focus. You had no idea what his expression was under the visor, leaving you always feeling like you were being hunted under his pointed gaze.

He remained unmoved for a second, and you did too, hoping you hadn't offended him. You were fairly sure at this point he wasn't going to kill you or turn you in for a bounty, but you also didn't want to take any chances. Finally, he nodded at your ankle and resumed his work.

"Better?" He asked, tone clipped.

You felt yourself relax a little. "Oh, yeah. Much better." You gave an experimental roll of your ankle. It still ached a bit, but the medpac he had given you went a long way in treating the sprain. The burn from the Trandoshan hunter's blood still stung to the touch, but it looked like the odd discoloration had eased a bit. The same thing could be said for the blaster singe on your upper arm. The torn skin had since begun to ease into a silvery scar.

"Good." He replied curtly without looking at you, fingers tracing the long barrel of the rifle.

That seemed to be the end of the conversation. You made a small face of dissatisfaction but didn't try to push the topic further. Instead you finished your ration bar and turned your attention to the child in the bassinet beside you. He was dozing, and if you listened closely you could hear his soft, sleepy snores. A small smile crept over your face as you observed him, a hand coming to rest atop his carrier.

Mando had briefed you on the bare details of the infant in his care. The Imps wanted him, same as they wanted you. Although that could be for entirely different reasons. Mando had mentioned something off-handed about a scientist. The idea of such a helpless creature being used as the subject for a lab experiment made you shudder. The thought had seemed to bother Mando as well. He had rescued the child after first bringing him in as a bounty. That fact alone had altered your perception of the hunter. His sudden change of heart made him seem...kinder, in a way, honorable.

"Is he yours?" You asked suddenly, making Mando pause and look at you.

"...In a way." He replied, turning back to his weapon. With a satisfying click the firearm was again reassembled, the metal catching the low-lying sun.

"Where's his mom, if you don't mind me asking?" You knew the second you spoke that you probably shouldn't have, if the sudden stiffness in Mando's shoulders was any indication.

"...I don't know." He returned at last, and you could hear something in his voice almost akin to regret.

He stood suddenly, back turned to you as he carefully placed the sniper rifle back into its crate. Your eyes followed him.

"That's a shame." You offered at last after a heavy pause. "Must be hard to be a single dad. No wonder you needed a babysitter."

You didn't get a response this time. You had learned in the past few days not to push conversations, but in this instance you couldn't help yourself.

"I mean, it was more than I got at least, so I guess I can't judge." You muttered, mostly to yourself. This did catch Mando's attention, even if all you got was a quick glance over his shoulder.

"I didn't have any parents." You explained. "Not that I can remember, at least. I don’t think I can remember anything past when I was around 8 or so. I've been on my own for as long as I can remember since then.

There was a small pause in his movements. The fingers fiddling with a latch inside the crate silenced. If you hadn't been paying attention you might have missed it. You silently took this as an indication to continue.

"It was rough. Probably rougher than having a bounty-hunter as your only parent. Sleeping in the streets, stealing to survive, hoping your next meal wouldn’t be your last..." You trailed off with a sad smile, one hand stroking the child's wrinkled forehead. It made a small, tired noise in its sleep.

"It wasn't all bad, I guess." You conceded, casting a glance at Mando. He actually seemed to be paying attention to you now, even if it was just over his shoulder. "I mean, there were folks who helped me out. Cantina waitresses and street vendors, a handful of folks making sure I remained fed and healthy. I wouldn’t call any of them parents, though.”

You were briefly surprised to see Mando shift a little so he could see you better, no longer looking at you from the corners of his vision. You glanced at him, again feeling a little uncomfortable under his stare. Giving him a small, nervous smile, you continued.

“Eventually, when I was old enough, I started running errands for the gang. It was dangerous, but easier than what I'd been doing before. Looking back, I guess I should have never gotten involved. "

Your mind supplied the image of the gigantic Trandoshan towering over you in your workshop, and again as he stared you down over the barrel of a rifle. You shivered, both from the lingering terror and the planet’s cold morning air.

"Did you have folks to look after you?" You asked, turning to Mando. Again, he regarded you silently, as if weighing his answer.

"I did." He replied at last. "A clan."

You smiled, the thought pleasant. "That must be nice. I mean, people say it takes a village to raise a child, after all." You looked back at the kid, and realizing your indiscretion quickly added "That's not meant to be a jab at your parenting style, I mean. You have to make credits somehow out here, I'm not judging."

Mando gave a small, noncommittal shrug, tearing his attention from you and turning to sit again with a blaster pistol in his lap. Silence fell over the two of you once more, but it was less oppressive this time, almost comfortable. You folded your legs under you, watching him work.

"Soooo what's the plan, exactly?" You inquired after a long stretch of stillness. "Besides sitting on a moon in the middle of nowhere cleaning blasters."

"Lay low." He returned, eyes remaining on the weapon in his hands. "Hope a hunter doesn't catch up to us. If they do-" He pulled out the firing cylinder from its slot with a small _snap_. "Kill them before they kill us."

You suppressed a shudder. If Mando's abilities back at the space-station were any indication, you didn't want to be around to see the poor soul that tried to take out the hunter across from you.

"What am I supposed to do, if that happens?" You asked genuinely.

"Protect the kid." The answer was instant.

You frowned, puzzled. "And uhm, how am I supposed to do that?" Mando looked up at you, helmet clad expression indiscernible.

You raised your hands placatingly. "I mean, no offense, but I'm not exactly the 'hand-to-hand combat' type." You went on. "I think you've seen that much."

Mando regarded you for a moment before standing. You watched as he put down the blaster in his hands and strode over the row of weapons he had already cleaned. Selecting one, he walked back over to you, offering a small blaster by its hilt.

"Here."

You looked down incredulously at the weapon in his hand, raising your head to look up at him in disbelief. "Really?"

He tilted his head at you. "You can shoot, right?"

"It's not that, it's just-" You bit back your words, concerned about provoking him. Of course, you knew how to shoot. Were you a crack shot? Not really. That really wasn’t the issue. More than anything, you were simply surprised that Mando trusted you enough to offer you one of his own weapons.

Although, he could probably take you down in seconds if you gave any indication of turning the weapon on him. You tried not to think about that.

"Trigger is here, laser comes out here." The hunter pointed out, and you could hear a hint of sarcasm through his voice modulator.

"Right." You replied lamely, carefully examining the blaster. It was a good model. Simple, well maintained. It probably wouldn't help you much in a real firefight, but you hoped it wouldn't come to that.

Mando didn't move from above you as you turned the blaster over in your hands. You glanced up at him, trying to offer a smile. He sighed exasperatedly.

"There, try to shoot that rock over there." You followed his gaze to a boulder as big as the crate you were sitting on. It lay a good twenty paces away. You scooted to face it, leveling your aim at the center. You took a steady, even inhale and fired.

The bolt grazed the upper edge of the rock, barely missing.

Before the Mandalorian behind you could sigh in annoyance you turned, keeping the blaster pointed down and away from you.

"I said I could shoot, I didn't say I was great at it." You countered quickly. "I'm a mechanic, I try not to get into shoot-outs if I can help it."

Mando stared down at you hard. You could almost hear himself asking why he decided to hire you. He shook his head in frustration, turning from you.

"Keep practicing." He commented over his shoulder. " _After_ the kid wakes up."

As if on cue, a gurgle came from the bassinet. You reached it first, peering inside to see the kid awake and watching you with his characteristic brown gaze.

"Morning' bud." You greeted with a wide smile. The infant turned to you, raising his arms in a bid to be held. You obliged happily, settling the kid in your lap after tucking the blaster into your back pocket. "Sleep well?"

The child made a sound of agreement up at you, then reached for your discarded empty ration bar wrapper.

"Oops, hang on little guy. Let me get you some breakfast." You leaned to the side, trying to reach the open crate of ration bars off to your left. Your reach didn't quite extend, but as you stretched a hand picked up a bar and carefully handed it to you. You cast a grateful glance up at Mando, who returned the look without any indication of expression.

The infant in your lap happily began to nibble on the bar, his small munching sounds one of the only noises in the otherwise quiet campsite.

"That alright?" You asked him in an effort to break the silence. The child looked up at you with a mouthful of a ration bar, making a little grunt of satisfaction. You smiled affectionately. It had only been a few days, but you really felt yourself growing a bond with the child. You didn't know if it was his adorable personality, cute demeanor, or something entirely different.

As if on cue, you could hear your name again, spoken in halting baby syllables. It came across as something other than an audible noise. You were able to hear it, but the sound was whispery. If you concentrated too hard it slipped away like water.

"That's right. That's my name." You laughed, charmed.

"You really can understand him." Mando spoke, interrupting your thoughts. His voice contained a hint of amazement. You looked up at him as he observed you two.

You shrugged with a half-smile. "Sort of?" You replied. "I mean, the only thing he ever actually says is my name, though I still don't know how he found that out."

Mando remained silent, his gaze at you unfaltering. You self-consciously avoided his stare, choosing instead to look down at the child happily munching away in your lap.

"....(Y/n)."

You looked up, surprised. Mando tilted his head at you, as if he wasn't the one to just speak your name with such deliberateness. He looked down at your open, wide-eyed gaze for a moment too long. Just as you were about to question him, he turned abruptly.

"It's a good name." He finally spoke, turning his attention back to his blaster and continuing with his work as if the conversation had never occurred at all.

You looked after him, astonished. Yet the silence that followed wasn't uncomfortable. Instead you turned his voice over in your head, secretly relishing the way he had spoken it.

For the first time in days, you felt yourself light up with a truly genuine smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a slow chapter for y'all. We can't always have these three running around, everyone needs some down time. Next chapter should be a little more interesting. Again, a big thank you to everyone who has commented, given kudos, subscribed, bookmarked, or viewed this work. I'm honestly surprised by the amount of attention this fic has gotten, not that I'm complaining. 
> 
> See y'all soon.


	5. Part Five: Aim

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "No." Mando's modulated voice came from beside you. A pair of gloved hands rested on your grip of the blaster. You sucked in a breath automatically, feeling the cold metal of his beskar bracers come into contact with your arms. You hadn’t even heard him behind you. How did he get so close?

"Again."

You breathed in, sweat beading your brow as you fired off another shot at your make-shift target. The blaster bolt made a small whizzing sound as it scraped the edge of the boulder ahead of you, letting forth a small shower of sparks. You frowned in dismay.

"Again." Mando's voice echoed behind you. His tone was even, practiced. Raising the small blaster he had given you, you leveled your aim once more. 

It had been two days since your lengthy conversation with Mando, the one that had left you puzzled but pleased at his slow adjustment towards you. In that time, you two had managed to create a sort of orbit around each other as you made your way about your respective days. Mando still didn't offer much conversation, but you could tell by the way he moved past you in the cargo hold, the difference in his tone when he did speak to you, that he had grown more comfortable with your presence. 

Likewise, you felt yourself relaxing as the days went by. No longer constantly fearful of offending the hunter or otherwise raising the possibility of endangering yourself, you had managed to develop a tenuous relationship with your new circumstances. Of course, the threat of an impending bounty hunter or, stars forbid, a stormtrooper unit descending upon you remained. More often than not you could find Mando scanning the horizon with his scopes, eyes tracing the hazy grey-blue sky above you. There was an odd silence over the camp, one that you couldn’t attribute to Mando’s gruff and quiet nature. It was almost as if the second you allowed yourselves to get too comfortable that hell would rain down on you.

Despite this, the two of you managed to fall into a rhythm as the days had gone by. You managed the child for most of the day, often finding him a willing listener to whatever thoughts you had on hand. It was one-sided conversation, but you could tell from the way the infant looked up at you, the understanding in his eyes, that he comprehended what you were saying. More than once, out of the corner of your eye, you had caught Mando watching you two. He seemed to silently observe you two, often taking a small break from whatever task he was focused on to listen to you talk to the child. Of course, every time you turned your head to meet his gaze his eyes instantly snapped back to his work and he acted like he hadn't diverged from it in the first place. 

Mando had focused the last few days continuing to clean and maintain his large inventory of weapons aboard. When he wasn’t working on disassembling the blasters or scanning the horizon for intruders you found him elsewhere. It wasn’t hard to locate him in your small campsite. More often than not you’d find him in the cockpit during his off-hours. He spent a fair portion of that time reviewing star charts and scrolling the holonet for news on the movements of imperial remnants in the outer rim. Despite the time you had spent with him, he still had never removed his helmet. You were afraid to broach the subject, and instead silently guessed it was a token of Mandalorian culture.

In the hours when the little guy napped, you spent your spare time doing a mental inventory of all the minor repairs the ship needed. The door to the fresher opposite the cockpit was slightly buckled inwards; The bulkhead above your small sleeping area now had a dent from the number of times your accidentally whacked yourself waking up from your nightmares; And the cargo area had a number of compartments with missing handles, badly repaired hinges, and other miscellaneous fixes. It was all things you could repair yourself given the right materials and tools, all of which had been left behind at your workshop back on Kaddack. 

Upon completing his inventory of the weapons cache, Mando announced that you three would be moving on from the quiet moon you had made your campsite on.

"We've been here too long." He told you one evening as the two of you sat opposite each other, a small fire flickering between you. "It's pure luck a hunter hasn't caught up with us by now. I don't want to test it by staying any longer."

Yet as the two of you packed the cargo crates and supplies back into the hold the next morning, he had turned to you and motioned you outside. For a moment you were nervous, almost afraid he would simply leave you on this nameless moon in the middle of the outer rim. Instead he directed you to the boulder from a few days prior, instructing you to take out your blaster and practice your aim. 

Now your blaster dinged off the corner of the boulder for the umpteenth time that morning. This time you couldn't suppress a groan of frustration. 

"Again." Mando's modulated voice directed from behind you. "Try harder."

You felt your mouth quirk at his comment but tried to ignore your rising annoyance. Instead you leveled your gaze once more, remembering to breathe and fire between your inhale and exhale. This time the bullet didn't even touch the rock, flying off and impacting the flat landscape beyond with a small puff of smoke. 

"Look where you're shooting." Mando barked, and this time you spun towards him, frustration prickling along your arms towards your shoulders. 

"I _am_." You ground out, teeth clenched. "It's too far, I can't hit it."

Mando only crossed his arms, remaining cool and collected despite your outburst. 

"If a hunter gets any closer than that to you, you might as well consider yourself dead." He replied, nodding to the rock in the distance. "Again."

Trying to control your simmering irritation, you turned and fired off another shot. It went wild. 

" _Focus_." Mando spoke again behind you, tone teetering on annoyance himself. Unable to contain yourself any longer, you wheeled on him.

"I _am_ focusing." You bit back, a warm flush rising across your face. "Not all of us were born bounty hunters, you know."

You knew the second the words left your mouth they were a mistake. Mando's otherwise passive posture seemed to tower above you as his hands fell to his sides. His shoulders tensed under his beskar armor, and you tried to ignore the small shiver at his suddenly intimidating stance. He took a step towards you, and though startled, you stood your ground as you stared up at his taller stature. 

In a single motion, without barely looking, he unholstered his own blaster and fired several rapid rounds into the boulder. They hit dead center, leaving behind a large smoking scorch mark that hissed as it cooled. Within another heartbeat he clicked the safety on once more, putting the weapon back in its holster. The entire gesture hadn't taken less than five seconds. 

You tensed as he turned back to you, suddenly feeling small under his pointed stare.

"I wasn't born a bounty hunter." He spoke lowly. His voice was measured, even, but you could detect the hidden irritation there. You suddenly realized how little distance stood between you two. If you raised your hand you could easily brush it over his armor.

"That-" Mando gestured to the blackened boulder, "Is the result of years of practice and dedication."

You swallowed self-consciously, trying to maintain his direct gaze but failing. You lowered your head, feeling shame redden your face as you averted your gaze. 

"Sorry." You muttered lamely. "I shouldn't have assumed."

Mando didn't budge. Instead he observed you, staring down through his visor at your shorter form. You withered slightly under his intense scrutiny. 

"Give me your blaster." 

Your head shot up, surprise washing over your expression. "What?"

He didn't repeat himself, instead holding out his hand silently. 

Hesitantly, you deposited the small firearm in his hand. You half expected him to take it back into the cargo hold and lock it up with the rest of the weapons cache. Instead he turned to face your target, holding up the blaster to his level. 

"You keep trying to use both eyes to aim." He spoke as you watched, taken aback by his instruction. "Use only your dominant one. Close the other. Remember to keep the front and the back of the gun level, otherwise you risk aiming too high or low."

You observed as he shifted the blaster in his grasp, tilting it ever so slightly so that the sights remained even. 

"Keep your feet apart, knees slightly bent. Not as wide as you've been doing, it's throwing off your concentration."

To accentuate he bounced slightly in his stance. After a moment he paused, aiming, and firing off a single shot that hit the target in a perfect bullseye.

Wordlessly he relaxed and offered the blaster back to you, hilt first. 

It took you a moment to accept, dazed at his detailed explanation. You blinked, silently thinking to yourself about this was the most you'd heard him speak at once in the time since you had first met the hunter. Gingerly, you held the blaster once more.

You turned, trying to adjust your stance and sights according to his instructions. 

"No." Mando's modulated voice came from beside you. A pair of gloved hands rested on your grip of the blaster. You sucked in a breath automatically, feeling the cold metal of his beskar bracers come into contact with your arms. You hadn’t even heard him behind you. How did he get so close?

Wordlessly Mando loosened your hold on the blaster, rearranging your hands so that your grip was steadier, firmer. Just as quickly as they had come his hands disappeared. You saw him nod out of the corner of your eyes. 

You could feel your hands shake slightly at the shock of the hunter suddenly closing the space between you. Still, you managed to steady them and level your sights. You tried to mimic his stance, take into account his instruction. Inhaling a trembling breath, you focused your aim and fired. The recoil was softer this time, and you managed to keep your arms level as you regained yourself and looked after the bolt. 

In the upper right corner of the boulder lay a small but noticeable blackened stain. 

You could feel your expression light up with a small sense of triumph. You turned back to Mando, a broad grin etched across your face. Though you couldn't see his expression under his helmet, you tried to imagine a satisfied smile beneath his visor.

"Better." Was all he said after a small nod. Without another word he turned, cowl flapping behind him as he made his way back towards the ship. Your eyes followed him, a slight disappointment rising in your chest. You didn’t know why, but you expected something more after your success. Still, it was more recognition than you had received all morning. You'd take what you could get. 

You trotted after him, remembering to turn the safety back on the blaster before pocketing it. Mando waited for you to ascend the ramp before pressing the panel beside him. The ramp hummed as it retracted. You managed to get one last glance at the boulder and the mark you had made on it before the ramp closed with a soft hiss. 

Mando had already ascended the ladder, and you followed. As the ship whirred to life you settled into the seat behind him. The child sat on the other side, playing with a small metal ball. Mando glanced at the infant, then did a double take.

"Hey, give it." He commanded, taking the improvised toy, and screwing it back onto a level on the flight panel. The infant beside you made a small squeal of displeasure. Instead he turned towards you, lifting his arms up in his typical motion of asking to be held. You obliged, balancing the child in your lap as the engines hummed to life, lifting the ship off the ground and into the air. 

You gazed out the cockpit window before you, taking in the view one last time. 

The sky had faded from the soft pink of morning to a gentle blue, tinting purple towards the horizon. The bare dirt landscape grew smaller as the Razorcrest lifted higher into the sky. Mesas in the distance became scraggly lines against the planet below you, soon obscured by cloud cover. Your small campsite, the place you had called home for the past several days, faded into the distance as the ship ascended past the atmosphere into space. You bid it a silent farewell, a longing smile tugging the corner of your lips. 

As the moon's curvature vanished from sight to be replaced by the starry expanse of space, you looked down to the child in your arms. 

"Off to the next adventure, huh friend?" You asked, receiving a happy gurgle in reply. 

In front of you Mando made a small noise, almost a huff of amusement.

The Razorcrest slowed, leaning back before launching forward into the blue light of hyperspace. 

\- o - o - o - o - o -

Din gazed out at the dark vastness of space before him silently, thoughts wandering restlessly.

It had been a little less than a week since he had originally found you inside his ship. The days had passed quickly, in hindsight. Yet every day in your presence seemed to last a little longer than he imagined. This wasn’t something he could have accounted for, hiring a stowaway as a babysitter. He could still see the bright, terrified shine in your eyes as he had yanked the tarp of your hiding spot up to reveal you. 

Looking back now he didn't know what he was so afraid of. He was sure then that you were a guild spy, or perhaps some outer-rim gang member trying to steal his ship. For all he knew you could have been an imperial informant, caught in the wrong spot at the wrong time, ready to bring down a carrier of stormtroopers down on him. Yet at the waystation you had protected the child, even at the threat of your own life, and for that he was grateful. 

As the days had passed, and you had slowly established yourself around the Razorcrest, he began to see past the veil of anxiety he had originally approached you with. You didn't have the skills to really pose a threat to him or the child. You did, however, pose the potential to become a valuable asset to him. Having a mechanic with a working knowledge of starships was nothing to scoff at when he owned a pre-imperial antique of a spacecraft. He had already noticed you wandering the ship, keen eyes tracing over bent panels and sloppily forged wiring. All things that he either couldn't afford to replace or repair, and some he had just given up on. 

It didn't hurt that the child had taken an almost instant liking to you as well. Even before he had decided to take you aboard the infant seemed fascinated by you. His small green hands constantly were reaching out to touch you, to be held by you. There was a connection there that Din didn't truly understand, but that he himself found almost riveting to watch. He knew nothing of the child’s past and couldn’t help but wonder at first if you two had met already. However, your story of your upbringing had quickly negated that possibility. 

When you had spoken about your time on Kaddack to him he was surprised, not expecting you to let down your guard so easily. Such a trait was uncommon in the people he had met. He couldn’t deny that you letting down that silent barrier had allowed him to relax a bit around you as well.

Still, he had been wronged one too many times to completely let down his guard yet. It was true. You couldn't aim any better than a stormtrooper, you lacked any real strength of a hunter, and your inability to hide your thoughts on such an open, honest face meant that you wouldn't pose a challenge to him even if you tried. Yet Din's years of constant travel, of deals gone wrong and allies betrayed meant it was still too soon to completely put his faith in you.

Besides, there was something...off about you. A part of him thought it was just his paranoia from having an imperial bounty constantly around him. Or it could simply be the anxiety of being chased, hunted by other bounty hunters. Yet even that didn't entirely explain the way you always seemed to know where he was, your ability to gauge him out of the corner of your eyes. Not to mention the fact that you had escaped from a hunter that fell on the same skill level as him. That wasn't something any ordinary person could do. Then there was your connection with the child. 

Din hadn't originally believed you when you had said you could hear the child's voice. Of course, he did as well, the kid was constantly babbling and gurgling in his carrier, whining at a lack of attention or food. Yet you explained that it wasn't an audible sound. It was something you could almost hear in your _mind._ If your strange awareness of him wasn't enough to go on, that fact alone made you suspicious in his eyes. 

He found it hard not to like you, however. Besides your gentle affection for the infant in his care, your earnest personality was refreshing, different than the various quarries or guild members he often dealt with. It was hard for you to hide any possible ulterior motives. Though you didn't speak to Din much, he frequently found you having entire conversations with the child in his care. You likely found him to be a more acceptable audience as opposed to the gruff and quiet Mandalorian.

He could hear you often telling the kid about your life on Kaddack, about your time as an adolescent spent running errands for the gang that had ended up putting out a hit on you. Your soft voiced descriptions of the warm colored workshop on your planet were relaxing, in a way. Listening to you Din could almost feel the hot sun of the Kaddack system filtering through the shanty cracks and heating the clay colored walls of your home. It reminded him somewhat of the few memories he had of his own upbringing. 

Din neglected to admit that he felt a small kinship with you as you confessed your childhood to him. It was a story that wasn't uncommon amongst foundlings. A child, abandoned by their guardians or parents, left to fend for themselves. If the Mandalorians hadn't rescued him when he was young, Din wondered if he would have experienced something similar. 

If the Mandalorians weren't so disjointed and scattered by the purges, maybe someone would have found you and made you a foundling as well.

Din quickly shook the thought away, blinking against the array of stars before him. The motion caught your attention as you tried to entertain the infant on your lap behind him.

He could hear your voice filter through his helmet, sounding concerned. "You alright?"

"Fine." He replied curtly. 

He could hear you pause without glancing back towards you, almost as if you wanted to say something. Whatever the impulse was seemed to fade, and instead you stood, carrying the infant with you. 

"Well, I'm going to try and get this little fellow to sleep." You announced. "It's about time for his nap, I think." Din nodded silently in reply, keeping his eyes on the blue light of hyperspace before him.

Yet you didn’t fully move. Din turned just enough to see you out of the corner of his eyes, watching as you paused in the doorway. It was always easy for him to read you, and now he watched as the corner of your mouth quirked. It was an indication you had more to say but weren't confident enough to voice it in front of him. 

"Don't-" You started, and stopped, as if weighing your choice of words. Your voice was softer as you continued. "Don't push yourself too hard."

Din blinked, lips parting slightly as he regarded you. Your expression was almost apologetic, afraid of testing the invisible boundary that he had built between you two. 

"If you need someone to take over, I-I can do it. I barely ever see you sleep." Din blinked, taken aback by your sudden forwardness. 

"Bounty hunters need to rest too, you know." You quickly added with a laugh, but Din could sense the unease behind it. Even after the time you had spent with him, you really didn't trust him yet. He couldn't entirely blame you, having his own reservations about you. Still, the offer was genuine, no apparent menace behind it. 

"That’s...very kind of you." He spoke at last. "I'll be fine but thank you."

You nodded, seemingly satisfied by his answer. There was a moment where you paused once more, and Din could only begin to imagine the unspoken words that lay between you two. 

"In that case, I'll turn in too." You replied, and your voice was quiet, soft. "Goodnight, Mando."

Din felt his mouth tug upwards in a half smile, even if lasted just for a heartbeat. Realizing you couldn't see it, he added. "Goodnight."

You vanished beyond the cockpit doorway, and Din could hear as you descended the ladder into the hold in search of the infant's pram. His eyes lingered on the doorway for a moment longer, gaze ghosting over the emptiness you had just left. 

Again, he shook his head, as if doing so could clear his jumbled thoughts. He was usually very clear-headed. His job required it, after all. Even during his time traveling with something so distracting as the child he had managed to keep an even head. So why was it that he often found his concentration breaking when he was around you?

Alone now, he tilted his helmet so that he could rub a hand over his bare face. It didn't matter. Soon enough you three would pass by a perfectly safe planet far from the reaches of the Imperial Remnants. Then you would announce that you'd be disembarking, and it would be back to him and the kid traveling alone. 

For now, he remained torn over how soon he wanted that day to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I know I said that this chapter would have some more action in it, but these two just...need to bond. That being said, this chapter was a BEAST to write. It really takes some work to get into Din's thought process without making him sound out of character. I promise we get back into the plot next chapter...once I make some decisions about what path to take this story on. I think I have it figured out. ~~Maybe, possibly, I'm pretty sure, not really.~~
> 
> In the meantime here's some announcements:
> 
> I have a tumblr dedicated exclusively to my works now. Right now it's full of Mando/SW inspo and story updates and well as content from other creators. You can follow me at [Sprout-Fics](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/sprout-fics). Here I'll be updating on future projects as well as chapter updates for other fics.
> 
> Also, after being encouraged to do so by some friends and readers, I've set up a Ko-Fi! If you are enjoying my work, please consider making a $1 donation! The money I receive will be spent towards allocating more time to write, developing original stories and ~~buying way too much coffee~~. You can find me here at [Sprout-Fics](https://ko-fi.com/sproutfics) Anything helps at all, but don't feel pressured! I appreciate you just taking the time to read my stuff and leave a comment. :)
> 
> Whew, ok I know that was a lot. I'll make it up to you guys in the next chapter, which is already half-written. See you then!


	6. Part Six: The Wound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Can you...hang on until then?" He asked, unease tinting his words. Again, his concern took you by surprise. 
> 
> _"No."_ Your mind supplied in response to his query. Instead you tried your best to focus on him, ignoring the searing heat boiling under your skin. Grimacing, you tried to project determination past the horror that sat low in your stomach. 
> 
> "Yes." You answered at last, relieved to find that your voice didn't waver.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight canon bending and explicit mention of poisoning ahead

You don't know how long you slept. You were used to your dreams of a vicious blaze chasing you into wakefulness by this point, but the next time you woke the burning didn't stop.

Even as sleep lifted like a black curtain from behind your eyes, the scorching heat continued unabated. As much as you tried to rouse yourself from the nightmare you couldn't shake the feeling on your blood simmering beneath your skin. It felt as if someone had tried to replace your veins with rivulets of molten lava, rendering you barely able to move from the sudden onslaught of pain. Instinctively you gasped, and the breath that rattled your lungs was sour, tainted.

Something was terribly wrong.

"Mando." You croaked, and your throat felt dry, voice cracking from the effort to speak. You didn't gain any response. If the Mandalorian was in the cockpit he likely didn't hear your voice, almost a whisper in your mouth. 

"M-Mando?" You tried again, swallowing thickly to try and wet your throat. The motion only brought forth a hard scrape inside your esophagus. 

The storage compartment you had made your bunk was dim, lit only by a small overhead light that flicked above you. The door to the small section of ship between your area and the cockpit was broken, letting forth just enough light for you to make out the doorway in the otherwise darkened ship. Your eyes fell towards the door, knowing that the hunter likely sat just beyond it. 

Carefully, you tried to bring yourself to a sit. As you moved you felt a shudder of pain run through your limbs. You felt as if you had been dropped two stories, limbs heavy and unwilling to move. Your legs felt limp, unable to carry your weight. Still, somehow you managed to bring yourself upright, sitting on the edge of the make-shift bed. 

Your head throbbed violently, heartbeat nearly deafening inside your ears. A foul, coppery taste filled your mouth as you once again tried to swallow. The air moving between your lungs seemed stale, stifled. You could barely think past the pain, much less begin to ponder the source of your sudden affliction. All you knew is that you had to get to Mando, try and tell him to get you to a medic as soon as possible.

You tried calling him again, but this time your voice came out as barely a whisper. Summoning what little strength you had you wobbled to a stand, whimpering at the unsettling ache that fell across your limbs. Your legs trembled as you took a step towards the door. The ship tilted around you, the floor constantly shifting beneath your feet. It took all your concentration just to remain standing as your center of gravity tried to toss you to the ground.

As the cockpit finally came into view you huffed a sigh of relief. The air in your lungs came out as a half-choked rattle. Mando sat in the pilot's seat, studying a star map. The child sat on the panel beside him, making small sounds of baby speech at his caretaker. It surprised you to hear Mando making small, disinterested noises of affirmation as the infant babbled. Neither noticed you at first, likely assuming you were simply headed down towards the latrine or storage area to get some food. 

You breathed in deeply, feeling the air barely reach the center of your chest. 

"Mando?" You spoke, and this time your voice was a bit louder, gaining the hunter's attention and making him turn. At once his relaxed posture stiffened, noticing your trembling figure standing in the doorway. His attention on the star map now lost, he observed you intently.

"What's wrong?" His voice came, tone low and concerned. The child turned to look at you as well, and you could almost feel the distress roll off of him upon seeing your pale face and quivering limbs. 

You tried again to speak, trying to summon words past your pain addled brain. Yet the cockpit swam before your eyes, the stars beyond blurring as if you had just come out of hyperspace. You wobbled, trying to balance yourself. 

Mando spoke your name, and with a sudden lucidity you thought that every time he spoke it that the sound was hesitant, careful. Almost as if he was afraid to use it.

"Mando." You repeated again, but the word was slurred. "I...help-"

A sudden lightness washed over you, and your legs buckled under you without warning. You tried to catch yourself on the doorframe, but your arms lay heavy at your sides. Mando flinched in surprise as your body hit the floor, scrambling out of his seat to reach you. 

"Hey!" He exclaimed, kneeling beside you. "What's wrong? Hey, talk to me!"

But you couldn't. It was taking almost all of your concentration to try and push yourself up onto your elbows, breathing labored. Mando's hands rested on your shoulders, and the touch seemed foreign to the image of the apathetic blunt hunter you'd grown to know over the past few days. Gently he reached under you, trying to aid in lifting you to at least a sitting position. 

"Burns." You managed, voice cracking. "It burns. Please..."

You could sense his hands pause for a moment, muscles freezing at your words. You tried your best to assist him, but your muscles felt locked and unable to respond to your directions. After a brief pause you felt one of his gloved hands reach down towards your previously injured ankle, pulling up your pants leg. The rush of cold air against the blazing heat there made you stifle a whimper. As his fingers prodded the burn from the Trandoshan hunter's blood you felt the strength in your arms fail at the sudden flare of hot white pain. Mando's arm supporting your middle remained steady, flexing under you to carry your weight. 

"Dank ferrick." Mando hissed beneath his helmet. "Karking lizards."

The words barely registered. Your whole body felt stiff, unable to move. You would have been embarrassed at your sudden incapacitation if it weren't for the fact that you could barely think past the searing heat behind your eyes. With great care Mando slowly rolled you over so you were face up, staring up the ceiling with blurry eyes. 

"Hey." Mando's voice floated through your thoughts. "Hey, look at me."

You directed your gaze over towards the hunter, his helmeted face hovering over you. One arm still supported you under your back, leaning you up so you could meet his gaze. Not for the first time, you wondered what his expression looked like under the visor.

"You've been poisoned." Mando explained, nodding at your ankle. "The Trandoshan, his blood must have gotten into a scrape or a cut on your leg. It's venomous."

Ah, that made sense, you thought hazily. It explained the strange discoloration on your leg over the past few days. Still, knowing why you felt like you were slowly burning and suffocating to death didn't do much to improve your current situation.

"Can you stand?"

You shook your head, the motion alone making the ship tilt violently around you. 

Mando mumbled something to himself that you couldn't hear. Slowly, he began to stand, bringing you with him. An arm wrapped around you and held onto you with an almost bruising grip. You managed to let out a small whimper at the touch. Your center of gravity shifted once more, and past the blaze of searing heat that gnawed at your consciousness you realized he was adjusting you so that you lay limp across one of his shoulders. His arm came to hold you on top of him so that you didn't fall. 

You tried to protest indignantly, slightly mortified at being man-handled. Yet your voice came out only as a strangled slur. Mando didn't reply, and as the metal of his armor made a soft clang in contact with the ladder you realized he was using his opposite arm to hold onto the rail and carry you downwards. 

You tried to protest, the idea of being moved again making your stomach lurch. For a moment you could see the black tinted visor of Mando's helmet focus into your vision before it faded once more. The hunter managed to hold you to him as if you were no heavier than a child, but the awkward position of trying to both carry you and make his way down the ladder jostled you uncomfortably. 

"Put...me down." You managed, voice hoarse.

"No." Came his tight-lipped reply. 

You couldn't form a retort, the swaying motion from being on his shoulder making your head spin. One of his pauldrons pressed uncomfortably into your side and you tried to shift.

"Stay still." His words left no room for argument.

You paused, surprised at his tone. Though he tried to mask it as frustration, you could hear the touch of anxiety tinting his words. A strange feeling coiled in your stomach, separate from the blinding heat that distorted your vision. Yet even as you tried to place it the nausea of being moved threatened to crawl up your throat, and the thought faded once more. 

Soon enough Mando's boots touched the floor of the cargo hold below. From above you could hear the concerned murmurs of the child standing at the top of the hatch. In your venom ridden state, his babbling sounds almost sounded like words. 

When Mando moved you again, sliding you from his shoulder, you couldn't contain the groan of near agony that escaped you. You bit down on your lip, trying to quiet yourself as Mando adjusted you into his arms. 

"It hurts." You wheezed, voice small. 

Mando tensed. You could feel it in the arms that carried you, in the way his entire posture seemed to go rigid. Again, you wondered how deeply his concern for you ran.

He took all of three steps before you were being moved again. Except this time, it was gentler, slower. You soon found yourself laying on your back, a firm but comfortable cot under you. It took you a moment to realize Mando had transferred you to his own bunk. If your face wasn't hot with sickness already you might have blushed at your unwilling invasion of privacy. Instead you tried to speak, to summon words past your raw and aching throat.

"Thank you." You managed, voice barely above a whisper. Mando's withdrawing hands paused, fluttered for a moment before his voice came through softly. 

"You're welcome."

He vanished, and you could sense him disappear beyond your reach. Boots clacked against the cargo hold as he padded off, leaving you alone. You almost wanted to call him back, afraid of being left by yourself against the toxic blood that ravaged your body. The thought was hazy, dissipating like smoke moments after it occurred to you.

It felt like your dream all over again. You could almost feel the mass of bodies pushing past you, the screams and smell of acrid smoke filling your nose. Except this time there was no waking up, no rousing yourself from a nightmare long past. 

Soon Mando reappeared and gently raised you so that you were propped upwards against him. The cool rim of a lid touched your lips, and you could hear his voice filter through the hot haze of pain in your thoughts. 

_"Pirur."_ He spoke, and you didn't recognize the language. "Drink."

You opened your mouth, raising your hands slowly to grasp the canister. The cold water made you splutter at first, the liquid a shock to your raw throat. Still, you managed to swallow a few times before trying to hand the canister back to him.

As Mando lowered you once more back onto the cot, you tried to focus on him. Your vision swam before your eyes, colors and shapes blurring in a dizzying effect. Yet you managed to catch the familiar helmet above you, gazing down at you silently. 

"We need to get you planet-side." He spoke, and it was as if his words floated to you through water. "If you don't get treated soon the damage could be fatal."

Summoning what little concentration you had you managed to whisper: "Your...bedside manner...is shit."

A small noise muffled by his modulator. Was that a laugh? How rude.

Before you could question it further a gloved hand landed on your upper arm, peeling back the sleeve there. You wanted to ask what he was doing, but the small pinch of an pain killer injector stopped you. Almost instantly you could feel your body beginning to cool, relief washing over you like a soft breeze.

"It isn't much, but it should help." Mando spoke, voice quiet. Your eyes fluttered open, and you blinked a few times to reorient yourself. Slowly your vision focused on the walls of Mando's bunk. Off on one wall was a small cabinet, likely where he stored clothes and blankets. On the other was a simple metal panel, scored by years of tossing and turning in armor. You lay so that your head was opposite the small door, feet pointed down towards the opening. 

Somehow Mando had managed to shift you so that he could get halfway inside without having to move you. You were halfway propped up on a bundle behind you, the position somewhat disagreeable, but allowing you to see the length of the cargo hold and the hunter beside you. Realizing with a start exactly _how_ close he was made you jolt with surprise, which you quickly tried to cover with a spluttering cough. 

Mando withdrew as you regained yourself, coming to stand at the opening of the small bunk. 

"I can't take you to my contact on Sorgan." He spoke, voice even but contemplative. "It's too far, and we don't have enough fuel. Tatooine is out of the question too, there's probably still hunters sniffing for my trail over there." He paused, and you could tell he was reviewing the local star map in his head.

"It's not ideal, but the closest planet is probably Hypori. We'll have to be careful, it's a hotspot for mercenaries, but I don't want to take the chance of traveling any further."

_Hypori it is._ You silently supplied, offering a small nod instead.

Mando made as if to leave towards the cockpit but paused. 

"Can you...hang on until then?" He asked, unease tinting his words. Again, his concern took you by surprise. 

_"No."_ Your mind supplied in response to his query. Instead you tried your best to focus on him, ignoring the searing heat boiling under your skin. Grimacing, you tried to project determination past the horror that sat low in your stomach. 

"Yes." You answered at last, relieved to find that your voice didn't waver. 

Mando nodded once in affirmation, making towards the ladder. You could hear him mutter something, and then suddenly reappear with the child. Wordlessly, the hunter sat him down on the far edge of the cot, giving you one final glance before ascending towards the cockpit. 

You listened to his quick footsteps as he slid into his seat and began to man the controls. The ship hummed to life around you, engines flaring as Mando piloted the Razorcrest in the direction of Hypori. 

Turning your attention to the infant, who waddled with baby steps towards you, you tried to offer a reassuring smile. The child blubbered frantically at you, reaching towards you with outstretched arms. His gigantic brown eyes projected panic up at you, and as you focused your vision, you could see tears threatening at the corners of his eyes. 

"Hey, hey." You tried to comfort him. You were relieved to find that your throat wasn't as chaffed after taking the water Mando had offered you. "Don't you worry, little one. It'll be fine. You'll see." Yet as you spoke your words seemed to be aimed more at yourself than at the distressed infant. Even so, you opened your arms so that the child could clumsily hoist himself into your lap. 

Again, he babbled at you. You wished you could understand his baby-chatter. The child spoke so earnestly at you, as if he wasn't simply cooing. It seemed like he genuinely believed you could understand him. In a way it made your heart ache. 

As if to confirm this thought, the child whined in frustration. He seemed to give up on speaking directly, and instead you felt your head spin with the constant repetition of your name. You shook your head, trying to clear the noise, but the sound echoed relentlessly in a deafening reverberation. 

It was so loud, and soon the sound began to morph, turning into a different voice. You knew this one, it was the one that had chased you across your dreams and into nightmares. It called to you shrilly, desperately hounding for your attention. Your skin seemed to burn hotter at the touch, summoning images of a hellish chaos around you.

"Stop." You hoarsed, feeling your head throb painfully. "Please."

The pain began to subside, the dissonance between your ears slowly dying. As it did you realized you were nearly gasping, chest heaving desperately for air on instinct. Cautiously, you opened your eyes, not realizing that you had closed them. Your gaze focused on the green infant before you, face contorted miserably. The child hiccupped, the cry jolting his small body. Your chest ached at the sound. You tried to hush him, but as you did the child began to cry in true fashion. Hot round tears spilled from his eyes as he sobbed, wetting the little garment he wore. 

Reaching with heavy arms, you took the child and cradled him against your chest with a sigh. You had never seen the child fuss so loudly before, and in a way it disquieted you. His usual playful and curious nature didn't seem to reconcile with the crying infant in your arms. 

"Why all the fuss?" You asked quietly, tilting your head to stare into his little face. "I told you I was going to be okay. Do you think I lied to you?"

The child sniffled, sobs subsiding as you gazed at him. You offered him a pained, tired smile. 

"There that's better." You consoled. The child hiccupped again, but it was only a remnant of his brief weeping fit. Still spluttering slightly, he reached out his hands once more so that he could press his small hands against your face. Unintentionally, you relaxed. 

There was something about this child that you didn't understand. His eyes were too wise for his age, actions betraying a sort of secret knowledge that he had. Yet at the same time he was truly a child, wanting constantly to play, talk, and to be held. 

How did he know your name?

You blinked, and for a moment the all-consuming blaze blistering across your insides faded. That same sense of gravity pulled at you again, colors fading and saturating the small figure before you. Your words, harsh against the scrape of your throat, creaking with pain filled the otherwise quiet space.

"Who...are you?"

\- o - o - o - o - o -

When the Razorcrest finally touched down, you couldn't help but sigh loudly with relief. The ship began to power down around you, the constant tremble of the engines fading into a low thrum. You could feel the gravity around you change, the sense of artificial heaviness settling into a terrestrial tether. The child had begun to doze in your arms, but as the ship settled he roused himself, gazing around curiously. 

The pain injector you had taken earlier had done a fair bit to quell the tightness of your lungs and unconquerable fever that had previously enveloped you. Yet as the Razorcrest slowly became quiet you could feel that now familiar heat burn again inside you. You tried to breathe through it, but as you did your chest seized and you wheezed with your next inhale. The noise filled the emptiness of the otherwise still ship.

It was strange to be reminded how quiet the Razorcrest was when it wasn't in flight or opened to the outside. The air inside was still, suspended as if waiting to greet the outside or be taken upwards into the atmosphere. The sound of shuffling upstairs broke the spell. You listened as Mando made his way out of the cockpit, tracing his steps as he descended into the cargo hold. There was a dull thud as he secured the latch to the upper level. Soon he appeared in front of the bunk, armored form blocking your view of the cargo hold. 

"Stay. Put." He spoke on no uncertain terms. You raised your eyebrows at his stern tone but nodded in reply. 

"I'm going to get a medic, but under no circumstances are you to leave this ship. Understand?" As if to emphasize the matter he pointed downwards, finger jabbing towards the floor. 

You couldn't help but roll your eyes a bit. Where were you going to go? You had no credits, no means of transport, plus you were unable to climb up the ladder, much less wander off. Plus, even if you could get to the cockpit, it wasn't as if you knew how to fly. Why would you, when you needed to get medical attention anyways? You huffed in exasperation. This didn't seem to appease the Mandalorian, who continued to level a hard stare at you. 

"Stay put." You echoed at last, to which he nodded. Turning, he began to stride towards the loading ramp off on the side of the ship. 

"Wait!" You called and winced at the returning rawness of your throat. "Aren't you taking the kid with you?"

Mando paused. You could see him considering, weighing his options. You could tell he was hesitant, unwilling to bring the infant at the risk of someone recognizing an Imperial quarry. At the same time, you knew that his trust with you was still on somewhat shaky terms. His shoulders slumped an inch in resignation. 

"He stays here." He returned without looking at you. Leaving no room for you to argue he pressed down on the panel beside the door, watching as the ramp lowered down. You could hear his broad stride echo down the walkway, and his low modulated voice speak firmly to someone outside.

Then, he was gone.

You held your breath for five, then ten seconds before letting out a heavy sigh which rattled your lungs. Tilting your head backwards so it leaned on the bulkhead, you tried to focus on anything other than the simmering sensation in your veins. Silently, you hoped that Mando wouldn't break his word and leave you to slowly succumb to the blazing fever which had begun to crawl back into your body. You didn't think he was that type of person, but you also couldn't negate that in some ways it would be easier for him. It would be one less Imp bounty to lug around with him, after all. 

The minutes ticked by, each passing heartbeat the length of a solar rotation. You could feel the hot, sick feeling of fever begin to wash over you once more. The pain flared at your ankle, drawing lines of hot white fire across your leg and up towards the rest of your body. The burn was enough to make you gasp, but even then your chest seized with the effort to breath. It was as if the Trandoshan who poisoned you held you by your ribs, trying to squeeze the air from your lungs. The only thing that stood between you and your brain automatically shutting down from the pain of the venom was the small amount of painkiller left in your system. Even then the medication did nothing to subtract from the hurt your constricted chest and raw, flaky esophagus. 

You didn't know how long it had been as you tried to control the feeling of your muscles beginning to lock, of the heat making sweat bead across your skin. For all you knew Mando had left not minutes, but hours past. Perhaps even a day. 

A fresh wave of pain swept across you, and the sudden flare of heat made you stifle a small groan. The noise made your mouth go dry.

_"Water."_ Your mind supplied in response to your cracked throat. Eyes still closed you fumbled for the canister Mando had given you, hand spread over the bunk in search of it. When you came up empty-handed you opened your eyes.

Only to find that the child had vanished.

For a moment you were grateful at the relief the wash of cold fear afforded you. You hadn't even noticed he had left your lap, so occupied were you with the fever encasing you. Staring past the bunk you could see the child tottering about the hold, little legs wobbling as he explored beyond the confines of the bunk.

"Dank ferrick." You muttered hoarsely, willing yourself to get up and pursue the child. Your body was heavy, sluggish. Even so there remained enough of the painkiller in your system to haul yourself forward and out of the bunk. 

"Hey, come back." You muttered after the child. With one hand you held onto the side of the ship, smooth metal sliding under your dampened grip. "Seriously."

The infant turned his brown gaze to you with a small murmur, which to your ears sounded like a small 'patu'. Still, he wandered past the open door and farther towards the back of the ship. with your other hand you gripped the bridge of your nose between your eyes, trying to quell an incoming headache.

Carefully, you managed to stumble forwards. While you were up you might as well see if you could find another pain-killer injector, or maybe some food for the kid. Yet the ship felt unsteady beneath your feet, swaying around you in a fever induced haze. Where the hell was Mando?

As if to answer your question, you could hear someone outside the ship. Your shoulders drooped in relief at the familiar presence of the hunter. Yet as he began to climb the ramp with heavy, confident footsteps you felt your relief being sucked away like the vacuum of space. Instead of a tall, armored silhouette appearing in the doorway of the ship you were greeted by the sight of a broad, hostile figure sneering down at you. His lilting, deep voice resounded in your ears and deafened any other thought you could summon.

"Well well, what have we here?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //Deep breath
> 
> So.
> 
> I was originally going to post this tomorrow morning. However, after the events of today I decided to post it tonight instead. Some of you may know I'm a US citizen. I don't want to wax too political on here but what happened today in Washington D.C., my home city, shook me to the core. I've spent most of the day watching the news and feeling genuinely upset at what has happened.   
> The thing I decided to do at the end of the day was do something that would make me happy, and would share some happiness with others. And that was finishing and uploading this chapter.
> 
> I don't really remember what I was going to post in the author's notes here. I think I originally meant to say something about how my head canon is that Trandoshan toxins are based off the pain found in a gila monster bite. And that I'm sorry for the cliff hanger, and that this was a very long chapter. It doesn't matter much now. 
> 
> I would normally post my Ko-fi link here, but in light of recent events I would instead encourage you to donate to DC homelessness relief funds for those who will be unfairly detained after the curfew tonight. 
> 
> I....hope all of you have a good evening/morning/afternoon. I hope you sleep well and eat a good meal, and do something kind for someone. 
> 
> See you soon.


	7. Part Seven: The Intruder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Let me GO!!" You shrieked shrilly.
> 
> Instead of relenting, however, your attacker dragged you backwards away from the wall. Before you could twist out of his grip a boot connected with the back of your legs. Weak as they were, you tumbled to the floor with a cry. For a moment you were eye-level with the child's terrified brown gaze. 
> 
> _”Hide.”_ You mouthed to him, but the child remained frozen with fear.
> 
> "Maybe I'll wait until the Mando gets here." The pirate's voice told you, a knee pressed in between your shoulders. "Then I'll make him watch as I kill you both."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw ahead for explicit descriptions of violence (entire chapter)  
> Tw ahead for language alluding to sexual assault (Specific paragraphs marked with (*))  
> Mando'a translations in notes

"Well well, what have we here?"

All possible relief at Mando's return evaporated in an instant, leaving a dark cold vacuum of anxiety in your stomach. You didn't know this voice, and even if you did, you would have shivered at the menace that lilted his tone. Muscles tensed, shaking with fever, you turned to the open cargo hatch to face the unfamiliar figure standing in the threshold. 

A male Nikto. You could tell from his distinctive head spikes and tough, scaled skin. His head was wrapped with a cloth, grease stains clear on his clothes. Golden eyes stared at you, framed by scaly brown cheeks. He raked his gaze over you with a sneer, taking in your fever induced posture and rapidly paling complexion. 

"Mando's got a little ship-maid, huh?" He chortled, one arm reaching up to lean casually against the hatch-frame. 

You felt your face flush past the heat of the venom in your system at his comment. Yet you managed to ignore it, eyes subtly shifting to the far end of the Razorcrest's cargo hold. You could see past the intruder to where a small head and tell-tale green ears peeked out from behind a crate.

 _"Stay."_ You thought hard at the child, only wishing he could hear you. As if sensing the message, he quickly vanished behind the crate without so much as a whisper. 

"Oi."

Your gaze snapped back to the intruder, face falling into a grimace. He snickered at you, giving your tautly coiled form a once over that made your skin crawl indignantly. Silently you noted the blaster pistol strapped to his leg. Your eyes met his as you spoke.

"You have the wrong ship." You told him flatly, trying to ignore the bite of rawness in your throat. "Leave."

He let out a bark of laughter instead. 

"You're telling me to leave my own hangar?" He bit back. "You've got some nerve."

Your shoulders drew tightly at his words. Even if it was his hangar, you had to get him off the ship and away from the child. If he somehow recognized the kid then it wouldn’t be a matter of talking him away from the Razorcrest. You didn't know if Hypori still had an Imperial Remnant on it, but you weren't about to take the chance either. 

You had left your blaster in your bunk upstairs and had forgotten to remind Mando before he left. Normally you might have been able to wrest him away from the hatch and close the ramp, but with the fever boiling under your skin and making your limbs sluggish and heavy, that wasn't an option. The weapons cabinet was behind you, maybe if you could distract him long enough-

(*)"So." His words interrupted your thoughts. "What's the deal you and Mando got going on, hmm? You his servant? Maybe a slave he bought? A bed warmer?"

The insinuation made your skin crawl, and you felt your hackles rise automatically.

"I'm his mechanic." You all but spat back, to which he answered with a low whistle. 

"A ‘mechanic’? Ever consider working for someone else?" His words were fluid, easy. His voice had a slight lilting accent, snapping certain syllables short in his mouth. The low hum suggestive hum of his words and his self-entitlement to Mando's ship made you keep your gaze pinned on him. You stared at him, hard, afraid of what he might do should you avert your eyes for even a moment. 

"You should clear out of here." You replied on no uncertain terms. You tried to straighten, to stand up and project confidence, but the ship wobbled around you in a heat induced haze. 

He tutted at you. "Now, now, that's not nice. After all, I came over to ask you to join me for a drink. You look like you could use it."

"No thanks." You didn't try to hide the disgust in your voice. 

"That's too bad." He smirked, and the hand that wasn't braced on the door slid silently over to his blaster. "I insist."

The silent threat made your heart stutter in your chest. Your eyes flicked down to his blaster and back up to his face. 

"I'm not supposed to leave the ship." Was all you managed, voice cracking. 

The intruder made a small, mocking pout at you. "Aw, you scared of Mando? He doesn't gotta know. In fact-" He turned sharply, body twisting so he could look out into the hangar. One hand came to his lips, singing out a sharp whistle that echoed in the otherwise empty space. It took a moment, but soon there were three answering whistles in quick succession. You felt your stomach drop all the way past the floor. He wasn't alone.

He turned back to you with a casual shrug, but you could see the confidence in the way he held himself. 

"See, my buddies and I got this thing going on." He explained. "We highjack incoming transmissions from the tower, manage to flag down incoming ships and direct them to our little hangar over here. For some strange reason, the pilots leave and never come back. The ships they leave behind make quite a tidy little profit."

Genuine terror now began to draw darkly against your thoughts. Mando. They were going to ambush Mando, and you had no way to warn him. 

(*)"It's only a matter of time before your friend returns." The pirate spoke, taking in your aghast expression. "Might as well have some fun while we wait, hmm?"

With that he lowered his arm from the doorway and began to advance on you. 

Automatically you took a step back, shoulder bumping the wall. The fever had robbed you of your balance, and as you backed away you could feel yourself tripping over your feet. You had to warn Mando, had to protect the kid and yourself. If you could open the weapons locker-

Yet as you turned, hand fumbling for the panel, your shoulder was seized in a bruising grip. 

"Let go of me!' You hissed, wheeling and shoving away the invader. Yet your arms were heavy, devoid of your regular strength. Trying to push him came across as less of a shove and more of a half-attempted swat. He laughed at you, backing off for a moment. 

He was playing with you, and the fact alone made you want to scream with anger. You pushed it down, turning again and stumbling towards the panel. It felt like a nightmare, your attacker nearing ever closer to you, and the button to safety growing farther and farther away even as you rushed towards it. Your arms and legs moved as if they were underwater, failing to reach forward and grasp the panel.

Your chest heaved with the effort to breathe, chest tight with poison and fear. The shiver in your limbs had grown to an all-out spasm. With every attempt at wresting off your assailant you could feel your head throb, your heartbeat loud enough to block out any other sound. Still, you pushed yourself forward, fingers brushing the panel before being wrested away.

You turned just as your opponent caught you, managing to throw out an arm wildly at him. It connected sloppily with his face, hand shoving his jaw and disorienting him. In the moment he tried to regain himself you used your other hand to push him again, and with your strength you managed to shove him backwards a few paces. He paused for a moment, considering you before advancing again. This time he didn't hesitate, reaching forward and grabbing your wrist in a vice-like grip.

He spun you, quickly turning you so that he grabbed both of your hands behind you. You felt your throat close, a sick, taut terror bubbling upwards in your chest. He was going to kill you. He was going to play with you like a cat with its prey before ending you. Even with all your strength you weren't able to shake him. The thought alone opened up an endless pit of pitch-black horror in your stomach.

Without warning you were shoved forwards, feet tripping as he pressed your face into the cold side of the ship's hull. The cool surface was a relief to your flushed skin, but the position made you let lose a cry of fear and fury. 

(*)"I bet Mando likes you like this." The invader whispered in your ear, his own breath hot and heavy against your skin. You flinched away from the words, scrunching your eyes closed as if you could block him out. Instead his hands grasped your wrists tighter, even as you squirmed to free yourself. "He probably likes it when you fight. Makes it exciting that way."

Dread washed over you as he spoke, the underlying insinuation clear. You bucked against him futilely, trying to fling his pressing weight off of you. Again, he only laughed. 

However, before he could speak more, a volley of distant blaster fire resounded outside. You paled, the flush of fever draining from your face. 

(*)"Looks like we won't have as much time together as we thought." Your assailant grunted into your ear. You could feel him reach for his blaster, hand sliding away towards his holster-

A small cry interrupted him

Simultaneously, you both turned, heads snapping towards the source of the sound. A tiny green figure stood beyond the hatch, farther into the ship. His form was half shadowed by the light spilling in through the entrance. The child's soft brown gaze was morphed into a genuine look of terror as he watched your figure shoved up against the wall. He whined, hands reaching forward to you in a silent beckoning. Your previous panic was nothing compared to the horror that ran frigid through your veins at the sight. 

"NO!" You screamed wildly, eyes watering with the raw scrape of your throat and burn in your lungs. "Get back!"

"Shut up!" The Nikto hissed in your ear, shoving your face harder against the metal surface. You grunted, again trying to shake him. His grip remained steady. You didn't stop, yelling and kicking in an effort to dislodge yourself.

"Let me GO!!" You shrieked shrilly.

Instead of relenting, however, your attacker dragged you backwards away from the wall. Before you could twist out of his grip a boot connected with the back of your legs. Weak as they were, you tumbled to the floor with a cry. For a moment you were eye-level with the child's terrified brown gaze. 

_”Hide.”_ You mouthed to him, but the child remained frozen with fear.

"Maybe I'll wait until the Mando gets here." The pirate's voice told you, a knee pressed in between your shoulders. "Then I'll make him watch as I kill you both."

The threat should have made you limp with fear. Instead your eyes widened, and you could feel air rush into your lungs. You felt a new raw determination rise in your chest. The all-consuming blaze of Trandoshan venom hardly compared to the fire his words lit inside you. Your limbs seemed to lighten, bolstered by a white electricity that coursed through your veins. Your vision snapped into focus, fed by an unabating fury. With a roar you pushed upwards, throwing your attacker off balance, and giving you time to flip over and face him.

With your newfound strength you swayed to your feet, eyes blazing in a fear-induced frenzy. The mercenary seemed amused by this, if not somewhat surprised at you being able to throw him. He opened his mouth to let forth a derogatory remark, but before he could you launched yourself at him.

You didn't pretend to have any experience in hand to hand combat, but threw yourself viciously at the intruder, nonetheless. With a yell you reached forward, grasping his head, and bringing it down on your knee in the way you saw Mando do at the waystation. The man’s nose cracked against your kneecap with a satisfying _SNAP!_.

He roared in pain, launching himself backwards and stumbling away from you. A single hand reached for his blaster. 

With a yell you flung yourself at the pirate, leaning low and colliding with his torso. You both went tumbling to the floor once more, his form under you. In his surprised state you managed to get one hand on his holster, fist wrapping around the blaster. The barrel pointed away from you, towards the wall. Before you could hoist the blaster into your hands his own grasp descended beside yours, trying to wrestle for control of the weapon. 

Your other hand came to his face, shoving into his neck and up under his jaw. The motion confused him, allowing you to squeeze off a shot that ricocheted off the metal paneling. The sound echoed out into the hangar, reverberating against the walls. Outside you could hear the tell-tale sounds of conflict. A rapid exchange of blaster fire, a scream, and the low rush of flames from a bracer created a din of chaos in the previously silent hangar. You paid it no attention, focusing instead on trying to keep your attacker from pulling his blaster out of your grip. 

A hand reached up, shoving at your face now. You managed to mostly avoid it, but the pirate’s nails caught the side of your face, drawing blood. A cry of pain tore from your throat, but you didn't loosen your grip. Instead you reached with your free hand, fingers digging into the soft flesh of your opponent's eyes. A warm wetness gushed forth as you dug your thumb in. His sharp scream of pain made him loosen his hold on the blaster which you snatched from his grip and proceeded to scramble backwards. 

You sat now on the floor, legs askew in your effort to get away. If you heart hammered any louder you were sure it would beat out of your chest. A familiar shake had begun to settle in your arms again. Despite it you clicked off the safety to the weapon and held it aloft towards the intruder. 

He had managed to stand now, one hand clutching his eye. With his remaining gaze he stared down at you, fury no match for the anger in his eyes.

You fired reflexively when he took a step, but the bolt whizzed past him. It landed above Mando's bunk, colliding with the metal frame, and letting forth a shower of sparks. Panic flared inside you, hands shaking as you tried to concentrate. As you did, a familiar modulated voice floated through your mind.

_"Remember to keep the front and the back of the gun level, otherwise you risk aiming too high or low."_

He was mere steps from you now, his free hand now reaching forward down towards you. Yet an odd serenity cleared your mind, and the tremble in your hands stilled. That strange gravity that saturated your attacker's form and siphoned color from around him drew your focus. A single, rattling breath filled your lungs, and you could see in almost slow motion as you aligned your sights-

And fired. 

You only saw a bright flash from the laser bolt before it landed square in his chest. The sound reverberated endlessly in your head, stilling your chaotic mind in a sudden bout of clarity. For a second you thought for sure you had missed, as your target didn't move, didn't breathe. His remaining eye looked down at you, wide and horrified. 

Then, as if someone had cut chords from a marionette, he dropped.

The smoke from his fatal wound wafted upwards towards the ceiling in a single rivulet of steam. The intruder's collapsed, lifeless form lay mere feet from you, hand outstretched and mere inches away from grasping your foot. The blood from both your wounds smeared across the floor, tinting the metal panels red. The blaster in your hands was warm under your clammy grip.

You heaved in an inhale, and the stifled air chilled your lungs. The hot flush of fever on your skin was dulled by the cold wash of shock. Your hair stuck to your face, beaded by sweat. Eyes wild, you looked past the blaster in your hands. You stared at the corpse, heartbeat stuttering wildly. Yet he didn't move. Your aim was true. 

Behind you came a small tearful whine. You twisted, the motion alone causing your vision to spin. The child teetered towards you, hands outstretched. Despite your bruised and bloodied state you quickly welcomed him into your arms, feeling the way his small form curled against you. 

“It’s alright.” You whispered, both to him and yourself. “You’re safe. You’re safe now.” You inhaled deeply, the scent of the child and the wreckage around you bitter in your mouth. 

You had only a moment to let the air whoosh out of your lungs before the sound of a nearby explosion ripped you from your thoughts. 

_Mando._

You set the child down again despite his now hiccupping cries. He reached for you, but you scooted away. The resulting sob nearly made your heart cave in.

“I have to help your dad.” You told him, trying to bend down to his level. “Please. Be a good boy and stay right here. I will be back. I promise.”

Using the last of your strength, you hauled yourself to a stand. You tried to ignore the blistering fire in your veins, the wave of nausea that crawled up your throat. You stumbled out past the entrance, raising a hand to block out the bright sunlight. The sounds of blaster fire and chaos had drawn closer, and you tried to make your way toward them. _Mando_ , you thought feverishly. You had to help Mando. 

Yet the venom had taken its hold on you. The bright sunlight and spinning world around you soon robbed you of your balance. You collapsed on the ramp, body thudding uncomfortably on the metal. Reflexively, you hand tightened around the metal grasp of the blaster you had stolen. 

You craned your head, trying to look across the hangar. You could see two, no three blurry figures backing up towards you, facing towards a figure whose armor glinted in the sunlight. The ambushers didn't notice you, backs turned. Trying to focus your vision, you watched as they raised blasters towards the hunter. He paid them no attention, stopping mid-stride when his gaze rested on your collapsed figure atop the ramp. 

You swore your eyes met.

Something changed. If Mando had seemed intimidating when he was stalking forward before, his new stance spoke of nothing less than pure and utter violence. 

_"Hut'unn."_ Mando spat, voice a snarl. _"Ne shab'rud'niÖ."_

The words made you shiver despite knowing they weren't intended for you. Mando sometimes muttered to himself in that language, likely Mando ‘a. Even then it was nothing compared to the curses he barked at the pirates that stood in between him and you. That alone was enough to intimidate them, and suddenly a blaster bolt rushed forth and dinged off Mando's beskar. He barely flinched. 

Then, all hell broke loose.

Through your swimming vision, you could see Mando's bracer explode with a blast of fire. The sound roared through your ears. In a split second he had closed the gap between him and one of the attackers, hand wrapped around the man's throat. How did he move so fast?

Your head rang with the chaos that ensued. Blasters fired, someone screamed, and you could feel the ground under you shake a body flew and impacted the side of the ship. You scrunched your eyes shut, trying to block it out. It was no use. The violent cacophony pierced your eardrums and reverberated inside your thoughts. You were afraid to open your eyes to see the pure carnage Mando was dealing. You had never seen him so furious, even counting his original discovery of you on his ship. The pure bloodlust in his attacks made you shiver and try to curl in on yourself. 

It was endless. There were only three attackers, but the way Mando dealt with them made it seem like it was a full imperial unit. There was no doubt that even if they had survived the onslaught, they likely would have been better off dead from their injuries. You flinched upon hearing a bone crack under a swift, precise strike. The person injured groaned, unable to speak past the blood filling their mouth.

Screams of surprise had ceased, fading into desperate pleas and frantic whimpers of pain. Even then, Mando was merciless. You almost wanted to stop him but doubted he would even hear you above the bloodshed. 

Slowly, the violence began to cease. As the blaster fire and sounds of combat faded, you could hear Mando's heavy uneven breathing filter through his modulator. Carefully, you open your eyes to see him standing over a body, blood soaked into his gloves. His shoulders heaved as he tried to catch his breath.

"Mando." You croaked, and his head whipped towards you. Within seconds he was at your side, bloodied hands reaching to turn you over. 

_"Osi'kyr." _He breathed.__

__You rolled over, blinking against the brightness. A familiar helmet came into view, hovering over you._ _

__"What...took you so long?" You asked, chest rattling._ _

__"What happened?" He didn’t bother to reply at your attempt of humor, words clipped with concern._ _

__You shook, overwhelmed by the fever, corpse just inside the Razorcrest, and carnage you had just witnessed._ _

__"Intruder." You gasped. "S-shot him..."_ _

__Mando's hold on you tightened. You could feel the rage roll off of him in waves._ _

__"Shouldn't have left you alone." He growled, and you could hear the tremor in his voice. You didn't reply, eyes swimming with a haze of shapes and colors._ _

__"The kid?" He asked, shaking you slightly by the shoulders. You stifled a groan at the motion._ _

__"Safe." You replied. "Inside."_ _

__Mando's sigh of relief would have tickled your skin without his helmet in the way. You could sense him pause, trying to collect himself._ _

__"Cowards." He finally spat. "There's no honor in attacking someone injured, in attacking a child." You could feel his arms tremble at they held you._ _

__This anger was unfamiliar to you. You had seen a glimpse of it when you had first met, but even that was nothing compared to the simmering rage that still held him. You tried to tell yourself that it was just him fearful for the child, afraid of his ship being stolen, and offended at the cruelty of someone trying to assault you while you were poisoned. Yet his earlier concern at your illness, his sudden onslaught of bloodlust spoke otherwise._ _

__You opened your mouth to question him, ignoring your dry mouth and chapped lips. Before you could a searing pain washed over you once more._ _

__"The medic?" You hoarsed, voice small._ _

__"On her way."_ _

__You closed your eyes, relief washing over you. It was only a matter of time then. Thank the force._ _

__Despite the poison overtaking your system you felt like you could finally breathe. It was over. You had survived the intruder, kept the child safe, and Mando had finally returned. Even if the medic wasn't here just yet, you felt like you could finally rest. The thought alone made your eyes slowly flutter closed._ _

__"Hey." Mando shook you. You whined, trying to block him out. "Hey!"_ _

__You couldn't respond. You were so tired. Everything hurt, and the pain drew heavy over your consciousness like a black veil. Safe now, in his grasp, you couldn't fight the heavy-handed temptation of sleep. Even if you wanted to fight it, you couldn't. Your mind was past what it could handle and began to block out everything except the low thrum of your heart and the deep rattle in your lungs._ _

__With the last of your wakefulness you summoned your voice._ _

__"Please…don’t leave again.”_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a Translations:
> 
>  _Hut'unn_ \- Coward. A very strong insult.  
>  _Ne shab'rud'niÖ_ \- A threat, directly translates to 'Do not mess with me'. Usually followed by violence.  
>  _Osi'kyr_ \- Strong exclamation of surprise or dismay.
> 
> \----
> 
> Lord.  
> Did this chapter get away from me a little? Yes. Do I regret it? Mmmm prolly not. Was it hard to churn out? Oh for sure. Is reader a total badass now? Well we're getting there. 
> 
> Forgot to mention this last time but huge thanks to Ao3 user smellmeeve for helping me with chapter details. If you see her in the comments please give her a shoutout!  
> There's one more chapter before we move onto the next arc. I'm really excited to show you guys where it goes.  
> Until then.
> 
> If you like this work consider buying me a Ko-fi! -----> https://ko-fi.com/sproutfics  
> Follow me on tumblr at Sprout-Fics!
> 
> EDIT:  
> Uhhh so I just looked at the stats on this baby and uh apparently its my most popular work ever? Like holy shit???So thank you every one who has given kudos, commented, bookmarked, or even just read this puppy. I'm completely blown away. Dang.


	8. Part Eight: Survivor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His breathing had changed, you could see how he held it tightly in his chest. He normally never let you get this close to him, almost afraid of being touched. Even if it was just a brush on the back as you scooted past him in the cargo hold. Yet now, as he stood over you, head tilted so that he could look down, he stilled. He didn't move away, didn't sit, or turn so that there was more space between you. The feeling of his arms around you, holding you up as you fell, cradling you after you collapsed, appeared in your thoughts unbeckoned.

The first thing you noticed as wakefulness tugged at your brain was the steady, low hum of machinery. At first you thought it was your dreams shifting into reality, blending with your thoughts of being aboard the Razorcrest with its constant murmur of the engines and low beeping signals from the cockpit. However, as the sleep began to fade from your thoughts you began to realize that you were no longer aboard the ship. 

The room was dim, thankfully. A lingering headache pulsed against your temples, and you were sure any brighter light would cause the throb to worsen. The second thing you noticed was the soft surface against your back. Definitely not your makeshift cot on the Razorcrest then. Then there was the smell. It was clean, clinical, smelling nothing like the musty, dirt covered inside of Mando's spacecraft. Which only left one question.

Where were you?

Your eyes adjusted slowly, but as they did you were relieved to find that your vision was clear. No dancing shapes or colors swam before your eyes. In fact, the pulsating heat under your skin had relinquished. Instead a dull, heavy ache lay over your limbs, as if you had spent too much time lifting crates and running over rooftops. Your throat was dry, but it was likely you were only dehydrated and not suffering from a lack of air. 

Slowly, you sat up, using your arms to brace yourself as you looked around. 

A medical room. You lay on a comfortable cot in the corner, facing a door. A nurse's station sat at the foot of the bed, with a screen and cabinet full of supplies. The room was dim with blue light, an air filter humming somewhere above you. You weren't given any blankets, but the room was warm enough not to need them. Various panels and screens lit the walls beside you. Opposite your side of the room was a different door, likely to a fresher, and a simple bench.

And in that bench sat a cross-armed, softly sleeping Mando. Beside him, a floating pram with the shield closed.

You blinked automatically, shocked to find the hunter there. You had assumed he would be back at his ship, given it was under attack recently. Instead he sat atop the bench, legs and arms crossed, head tilting downward as he dozed. 

He still had all his armor on, including his helmet. You weren't surprised to see he didn't take it off when he slept. 

That didn't explain why he was here. He could have just dropped you here, given you to a nurse and skipped planet, taking the kid with him. It would have been easy for him, and certainly would have saved him some trouble. 

Yet the way he had raced towards you after the ambush, his hands shaking in anger as he held you spoke of something else. You told yourself it was only the decent thing to do, the same way he had tossed you a medpac after dropping you off at the waystation. Even that didn't explain the fury in his voice, the fear as he tried to keep you awake. In that moment you would have given anything to see past the visor, to see his expression and understand what he was thinking. Even now, as his shoulders lifted with slow, even breaths, you wished you could see his face. 

You didn't want to wake him. In all the time you had known him you hadn't see him sleep and wanted to give him as much time to rest as possible. You did, however, really need to use the fresher. So carefully, without trying to make so much as a sound, you swung your legs over the cot and placed your now bare feet against the cool floor. 

It was in this motion that you realized someone had traded your clothes and work-overalls from before with a soft hospital gown. The thought made you blush, the idea of Mando seeing you like this making you feel exposed. As you scanned the room you saw a small neatly pile of clothes beside Mando, a tell-tale grease stain revealing them to be yours. As you stood, creeping quietly forward to reach for them, Mando roused.

Instantly your outstretched hand was caught in his grip. You didn't have so much time as to gasp before Mando was standing over you, holding your hand aloft. His other hand instantly grasped your elbow, pinning it to your side. His T-shaped visor stared down at you, stance taut in readiness. You could see the moment where his mind caught up to his body, and his shoulders eased with relief. Still, he didn't move, didn't release his hold on you.

"You're awake." Came his voice through the modulator, still deep with slumber. 

You couldn't reply, heart still stammering at just how quickly he sprung on you. You made a mental note to not try and sneak up on him again, less you land with a vibro-blade to your neck next time. It took a moment for air to reach your lungs again, for your brain to process. Even then, you struggled for words.

"I-I am." You returned, hearing the own surprise in your voice.

It seemed this was what alerted Mando, for he released you at once, hands dropping back to his sides. Even then he didn't move away from you, still standing a breath away. His head tilted downwards to observe you from his taller height. He didn't speak, barely moved, and you could tell he was thinking hard on something. Still, he remained silent leaving it up to you to finally speak.

"How long was I out?" You asked, and the room felt warmer under his prolonged stare. 

Mando considered this, and after a moment supplied. "Depending on what time it is, 28 hours."

You blinked a few times, trying to process the pure amount of time you had slept. You didn't think you had slept so long at one time for your entire life. It made sense, you were well past exhausted when you had passed out. Sleep had come so quickly you had forgotten to worry about the possibility of never waking up again.

"Oh." Your voice came, sounding small against the silence that followed. The room was still, the hum of the air filter above you barely registering against your ears. You had so many questions. Where were you? How did you get here? Where was the Razorcrest? Were you three safe? Before you could ask, Mando supplied a question of his own. 

"Why didn't you run?"

You looked up at him, eyebrows raised. His question had caught you off guard, making your thoughts tumble in disarray. 

"Run?" You echoed, unsure.

Mando gave a single, slow nod. "I saw the body of the man you shot." He spoke, and his voice was low, almost accusatory. You shivered at the memory of the Nikto’s face, eyes wide with horror as he fell. "You managed to get a blaster away from him despite your condition. You could have just run, abandoned the kid and gotten away. Why didn't you?"

The thought had never occurred to you. At the time you had been so overcome by the venom in your system you didn't even consider that as an option. Even then, where would you go? A foreign planet with no contacts, no credits, nothing. Besides, you never would have just left the child alone, by himself in danger. The bond between you two wasn't that easily broken. Despite knowing each other for such little time, it felt as if you two had met somewhere long before. Almost like reuniting.

You could have answered with any of this, but what you said instead was:

"You told me to stay put."

Mando was still. He didn't reply, didn't move, barely breathed as he weighed your answer. You were afraid he wouldn't take it at face value, would consider it a facade, a bluff. However, it was the truth. You yourself had been unsure at the time that he would return and risked your life if he hadn't. Yet he did, and you had likewise fulfilled your own promise.

"Why didn't you?" You blurted out, forgetting to weigh your words, and letting them spill out the second they entered your head. Mando paused, then tilted his head at you as if silently asking you to elaborate. You fumbled, trying to explain.

"You could have left me. You could have just dropped me on the steps here and walked away, could have been out of the sector by the time I woke up. Yet you didn't." You looked up at him, trying to see past the blackness of his visor to his eyes. "Why?"

"We made an agreement." He replied, and the tone of his voice changed. Suddenly he was Mando the hunter again, not the man who had gently held on to you for just a moment too long. "If you protect the kid and watch the ship, then I will try to keep you alive and away from the Empire."

That answer didn't satisfy you, though. He had been able to read you from the start, and with time you were learning how too. It was in the way he had responded so quickly, lines almost practiced. There was something else. 

"And?"

"And?" He returned, and you noticed the barely imperceptible rotation of his hands so the palms brushed against his thighs. He wasn't lying, but he wasn't sharing everything either. You needed to know. Maybe then you could begin to answer the long lingering doubts about just how far your relationship with the hunter ran.

You considered him, gaze weighing silently on him as your mind worked. It was a strange switch in your dynamic, with him the subject of your own scrutiny instead of the other way around. 

"I told you my truth, Mando." You spoke, and your voice was nearly a whisper. It remained steady, earnest. It was the tone you had confessed your past to him in, had given him an offer of aid, the one that let him know you wouldn't lie.

Mando didn't move, but the space between you seemed to shrink all the same. 

"Because you asked me not to."

Ah. So, there it was. The same answer to each question from two wildly different people. It revealed a level of trust that you hadn't even realized was there. Somehow, within the days and hours you had known each other, the orbits you had created had adjusted to accommodate the other. The previous, unspoken barrier that had stood between you two gently fell away in the silence of the quiet Hypori medical room. 

"Thank you." You spoke, voice quiet, afraid to disturb the energy that had settled around you. "For not leaving."

He nodded, and you wished he could speak again so you could hear his voice. You wanted to hear the difference, hear how his tone had changed after this small revelation of yours. He seemed closer now, not only in proximity. For the first time he was no longer the bounty hunter that would toss you to the Imperials given the chance, who would turn you in for a bounty. You knew now that this wasn't a man who would leave you to a grim fate, one who would watch you burn from afar to save himself. The distant, strange machinations of the force had begun to bind you together. 

His breathing had changed, you could see how he held it tightly in his chest. He normally never let you get this close to him, almost afraid of being touched. Even if it was just a brush on the back as you scooted past him in the cargo hold. Yet now, as he stood over you, head tilted so that he could look down, he stilled. He didn't move away, didn't sit, or turn so that there was more space between you. The feeling of his arms around you, holding you up as you fell, cradling you after you collapsed, appeared in your thoughts unbeckoned.

Somehow, for the first time, you felt like you could finally _touch_ him.

Your hand quavered automatically, raising to reach noiselessly in between you-

When the door to the room whished open.

You two sprang apart as if under enemy fire. Instantly you scrambled back onto the bed, Mando turning and facing fully towards the door, a single hand on his blaster. Yet it was only a slender Rhodian nurse who eased her way past the door, eyes glued to a datapad in her hands before looking up at you two.

"Ah! You're finally awake. Excellent." She cheerfully supplied, oblivious to the unspoken tension in the room. "How are you feeling?"

You realized with a start both her and Mando were gazing at you expectantly. Feeling self-conscious under the combined weight of their stares, you shifted. You hadn't had a chance to change back into your normal clothes yet. The soft linen hospital gown and shorts didn't seem enough to cover you from Mando's eyes. You curled your legs to you, as if doing so could somehow shield yourself a bit. 

"B-better." You supplied, heart still racing from the sudden interruption. "Much better."

"Good! You gave us all quite the fright when you three showed up. We haven't had a case of Trandoshan poisoning in more than a year, much less one from an off-worlder." She flicked her eyes to the datapad, scrolling briefly with a hum. "Let's see, Ms. 'Cuyan' is it?"

You raised an eyebrow, almost rejecting the name when the glint of Mando's visor caught your eye. He gave you an almost imperceptible nod. Blinking, still not understanding but trusting him all the same, you turned back to the nurse. 

"Cuyan." You repeated, letting the word settle over your tongue. Was it his name? Or perhaps an alias? "Y-yup, that's me."

"Right." She continued "It says here that you came in almost a full week after exposure. I'm surprised that you were able to go on for so long." Her suction-like fingers tapped the screen a few more times. "Most folks don't last more than a few days. You're a tough soldier to have dealt for so long."

Your brow furrowed at this information. A full week? Actually yes, you supposed it had been. Yet you didn't consider yourself to have a strong endurance to sickness by any means, so how-?

"In any case." The nurse went on. "You seem to be feeling much better after we delivered a dose of E-bacta and anti-venom. We managed to get some fluids into your system to bring down the fever as well. I'll have to take a blood sample to ensure that there's no remnants of venom in your system, but if that comes back clear you should be able to be discharged within a day or two."

"A day?" You echoed, eyes nervously glancing at Mando. "Do I really have to wait that long?"

The nurse paused, eyes darting up at you from behind her screen. "We do have to keep you under observation to ensure no further complications arise." She explained. "It's purely procedural, I assure you. As long as your blood results come back negative, you shouldn't have anything to worry about."

You teethed your bottom lip worriedly. Did you really have a day? Mando had said that this spot was along mercenary territory. If you stayed it increased the chances of you being seen. Besides, Mando had been away from his ship for quite some time, as far as you were aware. Who was to say it would still be there when you got back?

"That's fine." Mando's voice supplied in his typical, clipped tone for strangers. 

"Great. Give me just a moment." The nurse tucked the datapad under her arm, turning towards the cabinet and rummaging for a moment. As she did your eyes slid over to Mando, a silent question posed in your gaze. Yet his stance remained steady, unwavering. You took that as a reassurance. 

Your eyes flitted back to the Rhodian as she approached you, holding out a hand for your extended arm. You supplied it, and after a cool brush of antiseptic you felt the slight pinch of a needle entering your vein. Before you could count down from ten the needle was gone again, replaced by a small smear of bacta and a bandage. With a deft twist and click, the sample was stored into a tube and deposited in the nurse's lab coat pocket.

"Thank you, we should have your results in within the hour. Hang tight until then, all right?" She tossed behind her as she slipped out the door, gone as quickly as she had come.

You nodded, still trying to dismiss the small nagging anxiety in your stomach. As soon as the door clicked behind her Mando pushed himself off the spot on the wall he'd been leaning on. He tossed your pile of clothes to you, and you were pleased to find that they had been washed. 

"Get dressed." He told you. "We're leaving."

"Leaving?" You echoed, uncertainty tinting your voice. "B-but the nurse said-"

"You feel fine, right?" He asked, pressing down on a button atop his bracer so that the closed pram floated towards him.

"Well, yes but-"

"Then hurry up." He cut off, and you felt a prickle of annoyance at his interruption. I don't like being here. Besides, I managed to find somewhere for us to lay low for a bit."

You blinked in surprise, eyes following him as he made room for you to walk towards the fresher. "Somewhere...? Where?"

Mando glanced at you, doing a double take when he realized you hadn't moved. "Somewhere." He repeated. "I'll tell you more once we're on the ship."

Whatever strange tension had drawn between you two had since evaporated. Mando was all business again, arms crossed impatiently at you.

"Okay, okay!" You replied, feeling his hard stare on you. "Can you at least find some pain injectors or something? Maybe a water canister? My head is killing me."

He didn't nod, merely jerked his head towards the fresher. You rolled your eyes, feet landing bare on the synthetic floor. Quickly, you scooted over to the fresher, keeping the bundle of clothes tight to your chest. You turned to close the door, watching as Mando turned his back to you, as if even facing in the direction of the bathroom would be impolite. You felt your lips quirk in a small mischievous smile. 

"No peeking." You told him, watching his shoulders jump before quickly closing the door.

\- o - o - o - o - o -

By the time your blood results would have come in, you were once again in space. The dust-colored planet of Hypori fading behind you. 

You were surprised at how quickly Mando had navigated you three back to the ship. He stuck to the backroads, the little used alleyways and by-streets that went largely ignored by those on the main road. You had passed a few souls along the way, but a simple hard stare from the Mandalorian at your side kept their eyes down and out of your direction. Within what seemed like a few minutes you were near the hangar. At some point Mando had slipped out of the hospital to hide what he could of the bodies. You knew this from the bloodied stains against metal walls and trails in the dirt that led to a far isolated corner of the port. 

You held the child in your arms a little tighter, keeping your eyes from straying to the shadows there. 

Before you knew it the three of you were strapped into the cockpit, lifting off once more and bidding farewell to the planet. You were somewhat remiss that you didn't get the chance to fully explore, having only traveled to a handful of planets in your lifetime. You wished you could have flown low enough to see the scattering of oceans across the planet, gaze out the cockpit window at the factory skyscrapers, things you had never seen on your home planet. 

Still, your trust in Mando was stronger than your desire to explore. 

"Where are we headed?" You asked once you were clear of the planet's hyperplanes.

"Rishi." Mando supplied readily. "Real back-water planet. Main hub is just populated enough for us to blend into."

You hummed in thought, trying to see if you recalled anything about the planet from the travelers you usually dealt with at your workshop. Nothing came to mind except gruff, displeased mentions of a sticky, uncomfortable climate. Still, it sounded more interesting than a barren, nameless moon in the middle of nowhere.

The child in your arms was still asleep, having roused slightly at being removed from his carrier earlier but comfortable again in your arms. The awful memory of his small, scrunched face eased as you held him and listened to his soft snores. 

The silence drew long between you two. You thought you'd be used to it by now, given the time you had spent together. Even so it felt forced, maintained by Mando's refusal to so much as glance at you. He had retreated into himself again, hiding behind the dangerous hunter personage he donned in front of others and you. Yet you had seen it slip away from him before, had seen a glimpse of the man under the helmet. It was there in the way he had refused to move away from you, the way he had sprung towards you when you fell, the way he had first spoken your name.

You blinked, reminded of something.

"Back there, in the hospital, the nurse called me 'Cuyan'. Did you give her that instead of my name?" You asked, voice curious but not demanding. Mando's hand on the coordinate system paused, fingers brushing the screen before resuming what he was doing. 

"Yes." He replied, voice devoid of anything that would have discouraged you from continuing. So, you pressed onwards. 

"Why? To try and avoid detection?"

You got a nod in reply this time. "That's right."

You swallowed, feeling the next question stuck in your throat. Something had changed in between you two today, something unspoken. You wanted to push, to see how far it went, but were afraid of how farther you could go without it shattering. 

"...Is it your name?" You asked, and your voice was soft, almost apologetic. 

Mando froze, and for a moment you thought for sure you had pressed too far. You thought for sure he would end it there, not bother to respond and leave the question unanswered. Instead there was a slight shift, a small movement in the way he held himself. 

"No."

You should have stopped there, but you couldn't help yourself. It was like pulling in the end of a fishing line. With each heartbeat you could feel the weight on the other end grow closer, could see the shape shift in the water as it neared.

"Then...what is it?"

"It's...Mando'a." His voice was hesitant now, unsure. You gave him a second to pause, to tell you to stop, to not press this any further. You almost wanted him to, to re-establish the strange but disattached understanding you two had created before all of this happened. Even if he did, you wanted to know. You needed to know. 

"What does it mean?" The words were breathless, almost a stuttering sigh. The energy between you was rigid, anticipatory. You were afraid that even you moved, so much as breathed you would lose all chance of knowing the answer Mando held within himself.

Mando paused for long enough that were sure he wouldn't bother answering. He stared at the stars out the cockpit window, gazing at the endless abyss of space. The infinite blackness reflected in his helmet visor. His thoughts were elsewhere, and you had no idea how far they ventured. He seemed to forget you for a moment, head tilted and gazing at something you couldn't see. 

Finally, his hand landed on the hyperdrive lever, and with a push downwards, the Razorcrest launched into the blue of hyperspace.

"Survivor." He said at last, voice in a tone you had never heard him speak before. "It means survivor."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A weekend double update? Whhaaat? How I spoil you all. 
> 
> I had so much fun writing this chapter. As much as I enjoy fight/action scenes, the soft moments in between, the shift in the dynamics of characters is just *chef's kiss*.   
> Also, with this we are done with the 'Hypori' arc! We're now moving on to a longer, more intense arc that I've titled in my notes as the 'Rishi' arc. It'll be a very different environment from what we've seen so far, and I'm excited to explore it and show you guys! 
> 
> Also, I was asked what music I listen to when I write. Don't know if I'll make this a regular thing, but for this chapter I listened to ['Sleeping on the Razorcrest'](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FQhtaSfXSQ&t=2519s&ab_channel=songbirdaudio) by songbird audio and ['Unreleased SW Clone Wars Synth Music mix'](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNO3aNksUzg&t=2665s&ab_channel=SamuelKimMusic) by Samuel Kim Music. (found roughly 27 minutes in) Both linked. If you listen to music while reading then I would pick these two. 
> 
> See you in the next update, thanks for reading!
> 
> \--------  
> Buy me a [Ko-fi!](https://ko-fi.com/sproutfics)   
> Follow me on [Tumblr!](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/sprout-fics)


	9. Part Nine: Restlessness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You turned slightly in your sleep, startling the hunter from his thoughts. You twisted, mumbling inaudibly. He watched you as you stilled, eyes moving rapidly under your lids. Briefly your face contorted into a look of pain, and Din felt his chest clench oddly. 
> 
> You spoke again, words incoherent but sounding nonetheless like a plea. Body twisting, you shifted uncomfortably. 
> 
> _"Do you have nightmares too?"_ Din wondered to himself, unable to tear his eyes away.

Rishi, you learned, was an uncomfortably humid planet. 

It was beautiful, if you were being truthful. Made of a collection of mountainous islands, its waterside views were truly awe-inspiring. On the flight in you could see lush landscapes, foggy cliffsides, and beautiful beaches with waves painted purple by the setting sun. If you had to pick any place to lay low, this seemed like an excellent choice. 

However, upon landing and opening the hatch door, you felt yourself nearly smacked in the face by the wet, hot air of the lowlands. Within minutes of being on the planet you were already working up a damp sweat. By the time Mando finished with the hangar engineer you wanted nothing less than to swan-dive into the nearest lagoon in search of relief. 

The child didn’t seem to mind much, ever curious about his surroundings. The tropical paradise was home to a number of insects, birds, and lizards. Their calls echoed from the rooftops of the shantytown you two found yourselves in. While you waited on Mando you let the infant roam within your line of sight, watching as he scurried after a small lizard who kept just out of his reach. Eventually, upon realizing the futility of his chase, the youngster toddled back to you, reaching up and hoisting himself into your lap. You turned your focus to him, fingers tracing his abnormally long ears. He cooed happily at the touch. 

"Did you miss me?" You asked with a broad smile. "Sorry to have worried you. I said I'd be okay, didn't I?" The child bounced in your arms with barely contained delight, grinning from ear to ear.

"He was a real womprat while you were asleep." Mando commented from behind you, now done with the hangar engineer. He stood beside you as you sat on a crate, arms slack at his sides. You wondered how he was doing beneath all the layers, given that you were already uncomfortably warm from the humidity. "Wouldn't stop fussing."

You looked back the infant, who seemed to realize Mando was talking about him. He puffed a small, almost frustrated exhale, which made you laugh. 

"It's because he missed me!" You exclaimed, reaching under his arms and tickling the infant, who squealed playfully. He squirmed under you for a moment before you relented, looking back at Mando. The hunter faced you at you sat with the child, his stance relaxed as he watched the two of you. There was a softness to the way he held himself that made your heart warm. 

"He really does like you." He spoke, and you found yourself slightly surprised by the way he measured his tone. "Maybe more than he likes me."

You made a small sound of disbelief at the child, who only mimicked the sound. 

"No way. He's a father's boy. He just likes me because I entertain him more than you do." You replied, bouncing the kid in your lap again. 

Mando shrugged noncommittally. "He likes having you around, in any case."

You raised your eyebrows at that, sensing a hidden truth behind Mando's words. Before you could ask, however, he gestured you to follow him.

"I found us a place to board." He tossed behind him as he walked away from you both. You watched the sunset light glint off his armor for a moment before hoisting the child into your arms and trotting to catch up and walk beside him. 

Mando directed you three out of the hangar to a small inn at the edge of town. It didn't seem like much, cobbled out of a collection of driftwood and scrap metal. Half of the first floor didn't have walls, enclosed merely by support beams and the second floor overhead. Still, it meant that you'd be sleeping in an actual bed as opposed to your makeshift bunk on the Razorcrest, so you couldn't complain. 

The first floor of the inn was a small cantina, filled almost entirely by locals. Half of the room was cast into shadow by the ceiling above, with a series of hanging lamps to illuminate the space. It was dusk, and the small bar was steadily filling up with workers getting off their shifts. It hadn't amassed quite the crowd yet, but the street outside was beginning to bustle as folks made their way home. You and Mando got quite the series of stares from the patrons as you walked in. You couldn't blame them. You made quite the strange trio, a Mandalorian, a back-world mechanic, and a long eared, green infant. You tried to pay their gazes no mind, following Mando and making your way towards the back where a bartender was chatting with one of his patrons. 

"We're looking for a room." Mando announced gruffly, tossing a small bag of credits down on the counter. The bartender raised his eyebrows, giving both you and you companion a once over. His eyes glinted in the dim light of the bar. You squirmed a little under his gaze, but upon noticing he gave you a friendly smile.

"Stayin’ long?" He asked good naturedly, and you tried to place the warbled accent of his voice. "We only got one room left."

"We'll take it." Mando replied instantly. "How much for a week?"

The bartender scratched his chin, nails raking through a badly maintained beard. "That'll get you a week." He announced, nodding at the small pile of credits. Before Mando could haggle he turned, nodding to a young woman at the far side of the bar. "Uli, show this nice couple up to their room."

"Ah." You spoke, feeling a warmth flush over your face at his bold assumption. "We're not-"

But the younger chocolate skinned girl was already showing you to a staircase in the back. "Right over here please." She spoke, flashing a bright smile. You paused, still trying to speak, but Mando placed a hand at the small of your back. The motion made you jump a little in surprise, and you cast an unreturned glance at him as he ushered you forward. 

You were escorted upstairs, the sound of the bar fading. Each step of the crooked staircase creaked under your feet. When you reached the top Uli directed you two to a room scrunched between two others.

"This room right here." The young woman gestured, handing Mando a key. "Please enjoy your stay!"

Mando didn't say anything in reply, so you turned to her instead. 

"Thank you." You murmured, offering her a small smile, which she returned gratefully. 

It was only after she disappeared down the stairs that Mando unlocked the door. As it swung open you were greeted by an open window carrying in the scent of sea-breeze. Delighted, you rushed to it, leaning out slightly so you could smell the salt on the air. You could see down the hill into town, past the metal roofings and out towards the bay. Between the driftwood houses and metal structures tall frond trees towered over the neighborhood, casting welcome shade over the streets. The still-setting sun cast a hazy red and pink light over the city, and you could hear a variety of birds calling evening songs from the trees. 

"It's beautiful." You breathed, trying to etch the view into your mind. Never had you seen anything quite as awe-inspiring. Kaddack was a dusty, dry bowl compared to the serenity of the landscape here. "Right Mando?"

Mando didn't respond, and you furrowed your brow with concern. "Mando?"

You turned, finding the hunter's gaze directed at something inside the room, shoulders stiff. You felt yourself tense in turn, unaware of what could set him on edge so easily. Anxiously, you followed his stare, relieved to find that the subject of his focus was a simple bed. At first you breathed in relief, expecting to find a dead body or blood splatter against the paneled walls. However, as moments ticked by realization began to dawn on you.

A single bed. One made for two people.

It took more than a moment for you to process, brain eventually catching up to Mando's likely train of thought. When it did you felt a warm flush rise to your face, one that you couldn't attribute to the humidity. 

"Oh." Was all you could say, posture now mimicking the Mandalorian beside you. 

"I'll take the floor." Mando spoke before you could say anything else. "You take the bed." With that he swiped a pillow, setting it up on the side of the bed closest to the door. You blinked after him, surprised by his abrupt declaration.

"N-now wait just a second." You protested, setting the child down on the bed so you could gesticulate. The infant made a small sound up at you, watching as you struggled to get Mando's attention. "I'm not the one who needs the rest."

Mando looked at you, and even with the helmet you could sense his bewilderment.

"You woke up from being unconscious due to poisoning not even 18 hours ago." He returned, and you could hear the blunt professionalism in his tone fade. Instead he tried to be firm, but you sensed the surprise at you talking back. "You take it."

You shook your head, frowning. Waving your hands nervously, you tried to stand your ground against his reasoning. "Yeah, but you're the one who fought your way into an ambush, carried my half-dead body to the medical outpost, and then went back to hide the bodies of said ambushers. You didn't even nap on the way over here."

This was the first time you had truly tried to stand your ground against Mando's blunt and direct orders, and the situation was not lost on you. Yet at this point you were convinced that the hunter wouldn't dump you somewhere without a second thought if you gave him reason to. His actions on Hypori were evidence enough of that. 

Still, it was a bit intimidating trying to argue with the bounty hunter. His tone and stance gave you enough pause to consider your words before speaking. However, your concern over his physical state was enough to override your doubts about speaking up.

"I'm used to long-hours." Mando replied, but your eyes darted to his gloved hands fiddling with the pillow in his grip. 

"You're exhausted." You disputed, trying to ease your tone into a plea. "Even after you woke up on Hypori you looked as if a rancor had dragged you through a field."

"I'm taking the floor." Mando insisted, and you noticed that he didn't try to deny your accusation.

"Nope, I'm taking the floor." You replied adamantly, grabbing a pillow of your own. Mando stared at you, shocked by your obstinance.

"What?" And again, his tone had shifted away from his usual gruffness. "I'll be fine. J-just take the bed."

"No _you_ take the bed." You pushed back, clinging the pillow tighter in your grip. "I'll go sleep in the ship if I have to." It was an empty threat, and you knew it, but hopefully it would convince him.

"I'm not letting you sleep in the ship. Not alone." His voice bordered a warning now, but you didn't relent.

"Then take the bed." You returned, hardening your tone in kind. Your shoulders were stiff, stance rigid through a combination of stubbornness and agitation.

" _You_ take the bed." He snapped, tone dangerously close to biting.

The air crackled between you two, each of you as stubborn at the other. On the bed the child looked curiously between you two, ears perked in attention. His large brown eyes blinked sleepily. You didn't glance at him, focused instead on the Mando in front of you.

"Fine." You relented at last, and you could see Mando's shoulders relax. "I'll take the bed."

Mando nodded, moving to establish himself on the floor.

"If!" You interjected, pointing a finger at the hunter. He paused, head snapping back to look at you. "You do too."

If you thought Mando was stiff before, his new posture indicated a whole new level of discomfort. You could practically see his helmet glow from the warmth of his cheeks.

"A-absolutely not-" He tried to stutter, voice surprisingly hesitant. You would have been amused by the waver in his voice if it wasn't for the tired droop of his shoulders, the lag in his step from the hangar to the inn.

"Or I _will_ go sleep on the ship alone." You promised, still leveling a finger at him. 

There was a long, drawn out pause where Mando considered you. He didn't move, shoulders still scrunched in discomfort. You could see the gears turning inside his head as he weighed his options. For a moment you thought he would go sleep on the ship himself, that was until-

"Fine." He sighed loudly, not bothering to hide his annoyance. "But you actually have to rest. You're still recovering."

You raised your eyebrows, blinking several times before processing his words. Again, his puzzling but persistent concern for your well-being baffled you. It was in your agreement that he keep you alive, but this new habit of making sure you were rested and in good health failed to reconcile with the image of the hardened hunter before you. You knew he didn't have an alternative goal for ensuring your wellness, but it still left you pondering as to where this new cause for concern originated from.

"Fine." You replied in kind, voice finally softening. "The same goes for you. And don’t you dare think about switching to the floor halfway through the night.

Mando sighed softly with resignation, shaking his head in either frustration or disbelief at your behavior. You stifled an amused huff, humored by his frustration with a problem as simple as sharing a bed.

Sharing a…

The repercussions of what you had just done finally reached you, and you felt a warmth travel all the way from your toes to your ears at the situation. Even though it was a two-person bed, it was not necessarily a _large_ bed. In order to fit both of you would be very, very close. The idea of your smaller form curled beside Mando’s larger armored figure, bodies touching and being able to hear his soft, even snores summoned butterflies in your stomach. Your brain conjured images of his warm chest pressing to yours, strong arms wrapped around you-

You raised your hands, patting yourself several times on the face to dismiss your unwanted thoughts. Mando noticed, gaze immediately snapping to your flushed expression. You tried to hide your reddening cheeks beneath your hands, but in an instant Mando had closed the space between you and raised an ungloved hand to your forehead. 

“What’s wrong?” He asked sternly, a hint of worry tinting his voice. “Are you feeling sick again?” Your mouth dropped open, entire body rigid with surprise at just how quickly he had managed to get over to you. “You don’t seem to be running a fever, does the wound hurt?”

“N-no!” You replied, carefully grasping his hand, and taking it down from your face. Mando remained still as you did so, head bent to look down at you. You returned his gaze, feeling the blush across your face darken under his stare. “I’m fine Mando, i-it’s just really warm on this planet.”

Mando considered you for a moment longer, and as if suddenly realizing the lack of space between you two seemed to spring away from your touch. You blinked after him, watching as he retreated like a surprised loth cat. A pause passed between you two as you tried to process the strange breach of boundary Mando’s actions had brought. Your hand remained still in the air where you had grasped the calloused flesh of Mando’s palm that had touched your forehead. Mando watched you, hand still grasping his glove in a tight fist.

“I-I’m going to get some rest.” You offered at last, turning away from the hunter. You didn’t bother to try and address what had just transpired, opting to try and ignore the strange gesture instead. Mando nodded, head jerking abruptly as he too tried to dismiss what had just transpired.

Normally you would have shed your work overalls and opted to sleep in your shorts and shirt, but the idea of doing so in front of Mando made your skin prickle with discomfort. You knew now that Mando was a decent person, he wouldn’t take advantage of you, and especially not around the kid. It was more the fact that shedding layers of clothes, even if more comfortable, left you vulnerable and exposed around the hunter. 

You focused instead on unfolding one of the blankets at the bottom of the bed, the woven material clenched in your grip. You could hear your heart thrumming loudly in your ears, even as you tried to ignore it. Taking a deep breath, you tried to control your tumbling thoughts. It wasn’t as if you hadn’t shared a bed before. As a child sleeping quarters were hard to come by, and you often had found yourself sleeping alongside other orphans in abandoned houses or temporary shelters. So why…?

A pleased gurgle came from behind you, and you saw Mando’s charge toddling over to him on the other side of the bed with outstretched arms. Mando was sitting, half turned to see the toddler. You noticed he had removed his pulse rifle and cloak but hadn’t taken off the rest of his beskar.

"Aren't you going to take off your armor?" You asked quizzically. "It's warmer than Tatooine here."

"I don't think you've ever been to Tatooine." Mando replied brusquely, gaze focused on the youngster as he clambered over a lumpy pillow. "And no."

You watched the way he observed the child, posture relaxed. A smile crept onto your lips at the sight. Despite outward appearances, he really was a softy for the infant in his care.

"Not even the helmet?" You asked, and you knew from the way Mando froze and slowly turn to you that you had said something very, very wrong. 

"Especially not the helmet." He replied, tone low in warning. You stiffened, thrown by his sudden and stark shift in demeanor. In the beginning days of knowing Mando you had been afraid to ask questions, worried about attracting his attention for too long. You thought that the odd partnership you two had reached that maybe you could begin to probe, to understand the man under the beskar.

It seemed that wasn’t the case.

"I-I see." You returned, feeling shame sweep over you. Not fully understanding the offense you had committed, you offered: "Sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine." Mando cut you off sharply, making you flinch slightly. You saw him notice, saw him try to collect himself and measure his tone. "You didn't know."

You didn’t bother to try again, feeling as if you had pushed too far. So, you were surprised to find that, after several long moments, Mando turned to face completely towards you to explain.

"I took an oath, one I made when i was still very young.” His voice was soft, and you stilled, afraid that by even moving it would diminish the meaning of his words. “It's part of my creed. No one can ever see my face, so the helmet stays on."

"I see." You returned lamely, still feeling uncomfortable. You still had questions, however. Why a helmet? Why not just a mask? Could he at least tell you what he looked like? Exactly how old was he when he put the helmet on? Could he remove it in front of members of his clan?

…What happened if he took it off?

"Try to get some rest. I'll deal with the kid." He supplied, and his voice was soft, almost apologetic. You stayed still as he turned, listening to the rustle of the bedspread as he focused on the now-quiet infant in his lap.

You didn’t offer a reply. Gingerly you spread out the blanket on your small section of the bed. You arranged yourself so that you took up as little space as possible, letting the feeling of your head sinking into the pillow to relax your weary form. The sounds of the toddler on the other side of the bed making small, incomprehensible baby noises combined with the fading calls of the birds outside slowly faded, becoming a lullaby that eased your troubled mind into a soft gentle promise of sleep.

“Goodnight Mando.” You offered, the words soft. You weren’t even sure if he heard you

Yet as the light of the sunset faded from behind your eyes and the noises of the coming evening lessened, you could hear:

“Goodnight.”

\- o - o - o - o - o -

It wasn't long before you dozed off, breaths evening out into slow and steady exhales. Din adamantly kept his back to you, occupying himself with the child. Dimming sunlight still spilled into the room from the dying sunset out on the bay. As he lifted the child into the pram he could see the sunbeams light the infant's brown eyes into a soft gold. The youngster cooed at him, tilting his head once he was safely in the bassinet. Din huffed, sharing a small stare with his charge.

"Think you'd be able to settle down around here for a bit?" He asked, and the kid blinked his large eyes at him wordlessly reaching out with a tiny hand. Din obligated, offering a gloved finger which the child clung onto with a soft chortle. He watched as the infant fought sleep, eyes drooping low and head nodding. Within a few more minutes he was dozing softly enough for Din to extract his finger.

Din sighed, feeling the air rush from his lips and brush against his skin inside his helmet. He sat down on the other side of the bed, trying not to disturb your sleeping form. You didn't take up as much space as he thought you would, curling into yourself as you slept. It was a defensive position, he knew. He had done the same thing as a child, trying to protect himself from nightmares of explosions and droid armies. 

He glanced at you out of the corner of his eyes, looking at the way you breathed out from barely parted lips, or the way your hair spread onto the pillow where you rested your head. The sight was...relaxing in a way. Comforting knowing that there was someone else who he could now count on to watch the ship and defend the child.

He didn't know when he had stopped considering you as a potential threat and more as an ally. You still didn't have the means to hunt alongside him but had at least proven yourself useful enough to retain his tentative trust. His original suspicions of you being a spy or operative seemed far-fetched now, with your enduring honesty and optimistic earnestness. Din had to humor himself in thinking you would likely make an extremely poor imperial or guild agent.

Any lingering reservations about your motives had been cast null and void by your actions of Hypori. He truly had expected you to stay one he had found your medical attention, to skip ship and carve out a place for yourself on the industrial planet. Yet instead you had not only once again proven yourself by defending the child, you had proven that you had the fortitude to defend yourself even under the direst of circumstances. He couldn't help but admit he was a little impressed. 

Yet he could remember the sight of your crumpled body on the Razorcrest's ramp, the way your legs had fallen out from under you in the cockpit. The sounds of your strained, rattling breath still echoed in his ears. Din had experienced his fair share of allies being injured, fellow hunters dying under a line of blaster fire or a single misstep. Nevertheless, when it was your form in his arms, so much lighter than what he imagined, he felt an odd sense of dread rising within him. 

It was the same when he witnessed the child being taken away by the Imperials, face contorted into a cry. A sick guilt had twisted his stomach, laying there, and chewing his insides as he watched the infant disappear. He had tried to push it down, to not mind it, but it had slowly eaten away at him until he could bear it no longer. When he saw your form, bleeding and exhausted, still crawling out to try and help him, it was the same.

Din could still feel the rage that simmered beneath his skin when he had returned to find the ambush, could feel it blister in his veins. Mandalorians had a strong oath of honor, and even if others weren't beholden to it, it infuriated him when he saw someone behaving so dishonorably. To attack a woman, sick and injured, who was trying to protect a helpless infant, left him nearly shaking with fury. 

He didn't remember much of the fight that followed, only the feeling of a bone crunching under his hand, the feeling of a throat in his grip. His Mandalorian training had taken over, leaving behind devastation in his wake. It was only once your voice called to him that he was able to ground himself, able to haul you into his arms and rush you towards help.

 _Survivor_ , he had called you. It spoke to your spirit. He had witnessed you survive impossible encounters several times now, each one as shocking and captivating as the last. 

Even if you had wanted to stay on Hypori, he wasn't sure would have been able to let you go so easily. Din was silently fascinated by you, even if he didn't want to admit it. It ran far past coincidental self-interest and the level of trust you had gained from him. Instead it lay in the way you spoke, the hum of your voice and gestures in your hands. It was the way you had slowly relaxed around him, had dared to challenge him. It was like watching something grow right before his eyes in an enthralling unfoldment.

You turned slightly in your sleep, startling the hunter from his thoughts. You twisted, mumbling inaudibly. He watched you as you stilled, eyes moving rapidly under your lids. Briefly your face contorted into a look of pain, and Din felt his chest clench oddly. 

You spoke again, words incoherent but sounding nonetheless like a plea. Body twisting, you shifted uncomfortably. 

_"Do you have nightmares too?"_ Din wondered to himself, unable to tear his eyes away.

You twisted in on yourself, voice murmuring restlessly against the tumult of your thoughts. Din's hand reached out, brushing a piece of hair from your eyes. The motion caused your body to slacken, face falling into deep slumber one more. Din repeated the motion, absorbed in the way the dying sun caught the color in your hair.

At once he jerked his hand away, realizing how close he had gotten to you. Face flushing, he cursed at himself for allowing himself such a moment of indulgence. If you had been awake to see that he never would have forgiven himself for such a breach of boundary. He had already stepped past the invisible barrier he had built once this evening, and even now he could feel the soft skin of your forehead underneath his palm.

Wordlessly, Din buried his head in his hands with a groan. Whatever he had expected from taking you aboard, this wasn’t it. The professionalism and calm collected demeanor he sought to embody around you was slowly being worn down by this odd interest he found in you. He had to re-establish himself, lest he risk being distracted by your mere presence.

He couldn’t afford this, whatever this strange attachment was. There were reasons he worked alone. He couldn’t afford to constantly be wary of any partners whilst also chasing his quarry. Even if he did trust a crew-mate, he couldn’t risk exposing the covert by having someone so close. The earnings he received from his bounty went entirely to the forge-master and the clan’s foundlings. He couldn’t split the credits with a ship-mate without taking away from that.

It was also…easier, and for exactly this reason. As much as he hated to admit it, you were…distracting. Distracting in a way that wasn’t necessarily bad. Din had slowly found himself adjusting to your presence in the cockpit, the way you handled the child when he had his back turned. Your nearby form was…comfortable. It was an odd change from the people he encountered in his line of work, to have someone positive and helpful and simply…there. 

Almost like a friend.

Din cast a final, lingering glance at your turned form before laying down so that he was back to back with you. His mind still churned, conflicting thoughts keeping him awake. Even with your steady, even breathing beside him, he doubted he was going to get any sleep tonight. 

Stars, you were going to be the death of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Do I really want to do the one bed trope? Isn't it kinda cliche?  
> Smellmeeve: //Palpatine voice: _Do it_
> 
> Hello loves, it's been so long :'-)
> 
> Work and school are picking up again, so it's getting more difficult to find time to write. Updates are likely to come once a week from here on out, I'm aiming for Fridays. To make up for the wait I've resolved to post longer chapters for your enjoyment. Usually I aim for 3500 words, and this chapter alone is //checks notes// precisely 4864 words. ^^;
> 
> This chapter is a little bit of a break before we launch into the whole Rishi arc. I've got some hijinks planned so stay tuned! 
> 
> Once again a huge thank you to everyone who enjoys this fic. This work has becomes my most bookmarked, kudos-ed, and viewed piece in my entire collection. I'm blown away by the response. There's so many comments now that I don't get to all of them, but know that I am so grateful to each and every one of you who leaves a comment. I may start doing comment shout-outs in the next update just for fun, who knows?
> 
> See you all soon!
> 
> \-----
> 
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	10. Part Ten: The Village

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Are you _trying_ to put yourself in danger?"
> 
> Mando turned halfway to you, regarding you with an even stare. Even with the helmet on you could _feel_ his piercing stare. 
> 
> "You help protect the kid, I keep you alive. That's our agreement." He spoke, and you could hear him fall back into that blunt, professional tone of his. "So why is it that we're all the way up here, chasing down a dangerous hunter?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight canon divergence, canon compliant speciesism, and allegories to colonization ahead

It wasn't the smell of smoke, heat of flames, or desperately calling voice that haunted your dreams that awoke you the next morning. Instead you felt a soft, three clawed touch on your cheek. Eyes fluttering open, your vision focused on the image of a familiar green infant reaching out to touch your face with a low whine. His soft, still sleepy brown gaze latched onto your own, head tilted in consideration. You smiled wearily, still overcome by sleep. 

"Morning." You offered, voice thick after resting so deeply. Blinking, you paused, considering. Yet the haunting and familiar nightmare of a burning building and the rain of blaster fire remained a far-distant thought. You were relieved to find that you didn't even dream as you slept, having had a peaceful rest for the first time in what felt like eons. You could distantly remember the feeling of it, the familiar scorch starting in your chest as you slept. Before it could consume you there was a gentle, reassuring touch, and the nightmare had faded. 

The birds outside had begun their morning chorus, singing loudly from the treetops. The room was already bright, being well past sunrise. Outside you could hear the distant murmur of the city center as the market opened and work began for the locals. The warm breeze that floated into the window carried with it the smell of sea-salt, crisp to the taste. 

You stretched, feeling your joints pop and muscles unbend lazily from slumber. Stars, when was the last time you had slept so well? You let a deep inhale settle in your chest before sighing contentedly, relishing the morning light and the comfortable but worn mattress against your back. 

The child whined again beside you, and you rolled over to face him, finding the other side of the bed empty. A glance to the floor by the door found that your helmeted companion was absent from there as well. You looked back to the child, an eyebrow cocked.

"Where'd you dad go, hmm?" You asked, and the child made a small snort. 

You sat up, scooping the kid into your lap. As you did you could feel the pangs of hunger alert your now awake stomach. As if in sync, you heard a small rumble of hunger from the toddler in your arms. 

"Let's go see what we can scrounge up downstairs, huh bud?" You asked the infant, who cooed in seeming agreement. You smiled. "Maybe your dad is already down there. Let's go see if we can find him."

With a heave you lifted yourself off the lumpy mattress, toddler in tow. 

However, as you approached the top of the stairs, you were greeted by a commotion down below. Cautious but curious, you stepped down enough to take a peek at the bar from your perch atop the stairs. The owner from last night, with his dark eyes and scraggly beard, stood stiffly with his gaze directed across the cantina to the entrance. The young girl, Uli, stood just behind him clutching tightly to a serving board. Her shoulders were scrunched to her ears as the older man beside her raised his voice at whoever stood in the entrance.

You tensed automatically, holding fast to the child in your arms. This was a back-water world, untouched by Imperials as far as you knew. Still, the possibility of you and the infant being found by an Imperial agent, stormtroopers, or another hunter was not out of the realm of possibility. Gingerly, you lowered yourself one step further to see exactly who or what stood in the entrance. The bar was empty, save the duo behind the bar. Patrons and visitors alike were unseen, Mando included. Instead you followed the owner's gaze to the large shadow blocking the entryway. There, you were greeted by a being you had never seen before.

It was massive, easily towering over the owner of the bar, even taller than Mando. Yet that wasn't the odd part. You were surprised to find that this creature was absolutely covered in feathers from head to toe. Golden and bronze colored plumage decorated his chest under his meager garments. His arms weren't exactly arms, more folded into _wings_. An Avian species, you realized. One that was drastically unfamiliar to you. 

"No! Get out!" The owner below you snapped at the creature, who remained unmoved. "We have an agreement! Your kind can't come here!"

"This is the only place where I can find a hunter." The alien returned, and you listened to the sing-song pitch of his voice tinted with worry. "My village needs help-"

"I said get out!" 

"Please." The avian pleaded again, hands held up placatingly. "I only come in the direst of circumstances. If you'd let me speak-"

"I don't care what the circumstances are!" Came the answering bellow. "Go back to the mountains with the rest of your kind!"

The being flinched, an odd gesture for someone his height and build. Still, he relented, bowing his head, and turning away from the door. You watched silently as he left, watching as the sun caught the shimmering gold in his plumage as he stepped out of the shade. After a few more moments you carefully straightened off the stairs, making your way down into the cantina. 

There, Uli looked up into the face of her employer as he gingerly held her by the shoulders, murmuring in a soft tone. The sound of your footsteps interrupted him, and he spun. Upon seeing it was only you and the child, he softened. 

"I'm sorry if I woke you." He offered. "I didn't intend to raise my voice as loudly as I did."

You shook your head, offering a small, beit unsure smile in return. "You didn't wake me." You replied, walking over to settle the infant on the bar ledge. "What was all that about?"

Uli exchanged a look with the man beside her, stepping forward and setting down the serving tray in her hands. She brushed down her patched apron before directing her gaze at you. 

"The bird creature, it's a Rishii." She spoke, voice soft. "They're the natives of this planet. There's an...understanding between the settlements and their villages. They see us as invaders, and when the settlements began to expand, they began to raid towns and cities near the mountains. There were some border disputes, and a number of Rishii and settlers died. Eventually the settlements negotiated a peace. The cities aren't allowed to expand any further, and in turn the Rishii do not attack us."

"We should have never made a treaty with them." The older man beside her spat. "They're nothing but primitive species, why should we negotiate with them?"

You frowned, irritation prickling along your skin. You directed your gaze at the older man, distaste evident in your stare. 

"I'm sure they didn't ask for settlers to encroach on their home." You returned, trying to keep your tone even. The owner frowned at you in reply, eventually turning and waving his hand dismissively. 

"Uli, get these two something to eat. I'm going to be in the back sending a message to the marshal." He called gruffly, and you stared after him with disgust clear on your expression. 

Uli cleared her throat beside you, and you turned your gaze to her. 

"I'm sorry about Ty." She offered, and you were reminded how gentle her voice was. "But you have to understand. Even under the New Republic, the galaxy is dangerous. It's hard to find a place as peaceful and beautiful as Rishi. We didn't want to start a war, we just wanted to survive somewhere away from the danger of the rest of the galaxy."

You softened a bit at her but maintained your evenly measured voice. Eyes locking onto her deep brown gaze, you spoke softly in return.

"I'm sure that's what the Rishii want as well."

Uli ducked her head, and you could see the look of hurt cross over her face as she understood the meaning behind your words. Before you could say anything else, she excused herself and ducked into the kitchen. 

Your eyes followed her, and as she vanished you sighed. You kneaded the bridge of your nose with your fingers, trying to calm yourself. Speciesism wasn't a new concept to you, having lived on a world full of varying races, but you had never seen it quite as severe before today. An entire world segregated by clear lines between natives and colonists. You had a challenging time believing it. 

You looked up, opening your mouth to confide to the toddler in your care. However, you quickly discovered he was absent from his perch. Eyes frantically searching, your gaze landed on his small, toddling form wandering out of the cantina into the sunny street. 

"Dank ferrick!" You cursed, lunging off your bar stool and after the small green fellow. 

By the time you caught up to him you were well down the sunny street. You were reminded just how quickly he could get away from you if you weren't monitoring him closely. Catching him in your arms and scooping him upwards, you gave him a sour look. However, the child only giggled delightedly, thinking that the chase must have obviously been a game.

"Your dad will hear about this when he gets back." You told him sternly, to which he lowered his long ears. 

As you were about to turn back to the inn, a gold shimmer caught your eye. Your gaze snapped to the source of the light, finding that the avian creature from before was not far down the street from you. You watched after him, and upon seeing the slump of his shoulders, your heart sank. Against your better judgement, you called after him.

"Wait!"

He paused, turning as you trotted to catch up. As you neared you fully realized just how _large_ the avian species was. Easily two or three heads taller than you, he had to crane his neck to gaze down at your smaller form. This close you could see that the bird-like resemblance didn't stop at his feathered form. Even his beaked mouth and large, round eyes resembled that of an owl. You were briefly daunted by his height but swallowed back your uncertainty. 

"I-I'm sorry that the inn owner spoke to you like that." You offered quietly, holding the child tight in your arms. The little one craned his head up at you, gaze switching back and forth between you and the giant creature you spoke to. "I don't think you deserved to be yelled at."

You could see the Rishii pause, surprised by your words as he considered them. His stance was taut, feathers pressed down severely against his form. 

"That's...unexpectedly kind." He returned hesitantly. "I do not often expect such compassion from your species."

You gave a small, tentative smile. "You don't need to thank me." You spoke, voice losing some of its cautiousness. "I don't think it’s much to ask for people to be decent to each other."

Again, he seemed surprised. Still, he offered a small, grateful nod in return. Your eyes traced the layers of plumage on his form, lingering over the bronze colored feathers on his wings. After a pause, he spoke again, voice low.

"You...aren't from here, are you?" To which you shook your head. Again, he paused as he considered his next words carefully. "Are you...a bounty hunter? A mercenary?"

You shook you head again. "No." You confirmed with a slight grimace. Yet Mando's beskar clad figure appeared in your mind, nonetheless. "But I am traveling with one."

Surprisingly, you watched as the Rishii's feathers puff up, which you took as a sign of happiness. 

"Please." He asked, reaching forward and gently grasping one of your hands with his bird-like claws. "Help me. Help my village."

You automatically took a step back, startled by his sudden enthusiasm. Blinking in surprise, you listened to him continue as he spoke rapidly.

"There's someone hunting our village." He explained. "They come in the night and take people away. We've tried tracking them, but it's like they're a phantom. We lost a dozen villagers last month. Some of them we found dead in the forest. We tried asking the local militia for help, but they laughed at us."

His words tumbled out of him unabated, as if you had just opened the levee to a damn of desperation. Your mouth hung open, brain desperately trying to process the information just given to you.

However, before you could even respond, a low modulated voice spoke from behind the avian.

"Let her go."

The Rishii before you turned, revealing a beskar clad figure behind him. Mando stood stiffly, hand on his blaster as he locked his gaze on the bird-like creature. The morning sunlight glinted off his helmet, casting the metal in the same color as the Rishii’s feathers beside you. His posture and tone alone hinted not so subtly at the threat of violence if the creature before him did not comply. 

Sensing his rising ire, you quickly stepped between him and the Rishii. Your gaze switched between them quickly, noticing the Rishi raise his hackles in defense. You put a placating hand in the center of Mando's chest plate. 

"Wait!" You told him. "Don't."

Mando's gaze snapped to you, and immediately you could see some of the tension ease from his posture. You let some of the anxiety ease from your chest as well, grateful that you now had the hunter's attention.

"He wasn't going to hurt me or the kid." You reassured him quietly. "He was asking about you, he says he needs your help."

Mando faced towards you, silent. As if not hearing words but instead listening to your tone, he turned his attention to you. A gloved hand reached up and offered a finger to the child, who reached out and grasped it with a pleased gurgle. You blinked, a bit taken aback by the sudden tenderness in his actions.

"Please." The Rishii interjected, voice laced with distress. "We need someone experienced in hunting quarry. There aren't many hunters on Rishi, and even fewer who would help our tribe."

Mando's gaze turned to the avian, remaining on his feathered figure as he contemplated. His hand had drifted away from his blaster, but upon realizing the Rishii was still there his stance stiffened once more. He kept his gaze locked on the winged being, head tilted slightly. There was a long pause as he studied the alien before him before finally speaking.

"No." Came his simple answer. "I can't help you."

With that he began to trek up the street, back towards the inn. Just as quickly as he had come, he was gone again. You looked after him, shocked at his blunt response. The Rishii beside you sank dejectedly, giving you a sorrowful look.

Finally, your thoughts caught up to your body, and you chased after the Mandalorian. 

"Now wait just a second." You countered, planting yourself firmly in Mando's path. The hunter halted abruptly, helmeted gaze turning down towards you. "The least you can do is hear him out."

"I already did." Mando returned, voice growing impatient. "Let's go." With that he lay a hand on your shoulder, trying to turn you in the direction of the inn. You shrugged off his hand, glancing as it remained suspended just above your figure. 

“No.” You retorted, remaining fixed before him. Your face fell into a look of frustration as you returned his pointed gaze. “I thought you were a bounty hunter. Isn’t this a job? Isn’t this what you do?”

Mando stood stiffly, and you could see his fists clench at his sides. Normally the gesture would have caused you to back down, but you didn’t understand why Mando was being so obstinate about refusing to give his aid.

"You can help him." You scowled up at your companion. "Why wouldn't you?"

Mando considered you, stance stiff with a mild shock at your sudden tenacity. "I'm not interested in getting involved in a hunter's duel." He replied. "There's other hunters that can help him."

“Do you really know that?” You pressured, going as far as to stand on your toes to level up to his height. A somewhat futile effort on your part. “Especially considering how people treat Rishii here?”

“Yes, _I do_.” Mando snapped back, and you sense his patience wearing thin. “Enough. Let’s _go_.”

This time he was less gentle about turning you in the direction of the inn, despite your indignant grumble. You wanted to push the issue further, but Mando’s tone left little room for debate. So instead you cast an apologetic glance at the young avian behind you, feeling Mando’s taller form bump you as he walked in the direction of the cantina.

"Please!" The Rishii behind you both called out again, voice desperate with concern. You could see his owl-like eyes large with fear. "Whoever it is, they're taking our children. For some reason they don't care about the adults, but our village's children are disappearing.” His shoulders slumped, gaze directed hopelessly at the ground. His voice softened, choked with anxiety as he addressed the hunter. “We won't last another generation if this continues."

This, of all things, made Mando pause. You held your breath as he held still for what seemed like a moment too long. You could see him weighing the options in his head, trying to rationalize a way out of the situation. Then, his shoulders sagged in resignation. If you strained your ears you could hear the frustrated sigh from under his helmet, followed by a cantankerous grumble in Mando’a. Your relieved exhale soon joined him as you gazed hopefully up at the hunter and casting a pleased glance towards your new friend. 

"Fine." Mando huffed, a resigned frustration evident in his voice. He turned, letting his gaze weigh heavily on you before turning to the Rishii. "Where do we start?"

\- o - o - o - o - o -

Where you started, you found out quickly, was beyond the city and into the mountains. The distance was far enough that Mando had to go retrieve the Razorcrest from the hangar he had just come from and fly it carefully into the foggy range of valleys and peaks. The Rishii accompanying you, who you learned was named Ankau Suun, was at first hesitant to get on the spacecraft. However, upon taking to the skies, he became delighted at the novelty of the experience. You eventually had to shoo him out of the cockpit, sensing Mando's mounting annoyance at the avian's delighted oohing and ah-ing at the controls and sensors. 

The trip didn't take long, not even an hour from the city you and Mando had originally landed in. It had taken all of five minutes to pack up everything in your small room at the inn while Mando bartered back his payment. You wish you could say that Ty, the bar owner, and Uli were sad to see you go. Uli at least had the wherewithal to look disappointed as you trailed Mando outside. You had given her a similarly disappointed gaze as you stepped out onto the street to follow the native back to his tribe.

Mando himself had remained mostly quiet since originally agreeing to the job. You felt a little pang of guilt at his sour attitude but tried to reassure yourself that he would come around. Still, the tension in his shoulders and silence of his voice left you feeling a little restless. 

Mando's young charge seemed to mimic his guardian's attitude, even if it was mostly out of hunger driven crankiness. You had attempted to placate him with one of the rations in the hold, to which he had turned up his small nose at. You spent the majority of the short trip trying to coddle him into eating, and when that failed, distract him with a small game. Ankau sat in the cargo hold with you, having finished inspecting the foreign compartments and strange contraptions on the walls. You had to warn him away from the carbonite freezer at one point, explaining his purpose. The avian's flattened his feathers in alarm, deciding to take a seat near you and watch you with the child. 

"Are you his mother?" He asked bluntly after a minute or two of silence, making you nearly fall out of your seat with a mixture of shock and rising indignance. 

"N-no!" You replied quickly, face warming. "I'm...a babysitter, I suppose." For reasons you didn't completely understand, being reminded of your proper place within your strange trio made your heart clench a little.

The Rishii cocked his head at you, not unlike an owl. "You are not Mando's chosen?" He asked, and you broke your gaze away from the infant to look back at him quizzically.

"Chosen...?" You echoed unsurely. Ankau nodded at you.

"His...lover? Betrothed? Apologies, the nuances of your language often escape me."

Again, you nearly fell off your seat. Face practically burning at this point, you rushed to dissuade your new, albeit somewhat socially oblivious, new friend. 

"N-no!" You exclaimed, raising your hands, and waving them frantically. The child on the floor beside you giggled as you frantically gestured, copying your movements. "Mando and I are...well, you see we are...I guess you could call us- err..." Words seemed to fail you as you searched for the correct answer. Partners? Hardly. Contractually obligated? That wasn't right.

...Friends?

You paused, letting your voice trail off as you considered. Your face fell into contemplation, hands gently lowering to your lap. Was Mando...a friend? He was a traveling companion, one you had both agreed on in mutual self-interest. He was kind despite his blunt and brusque demeanor. He had saved you more than once, had kept you alive even at risk to himself. You two had grown closer since the incident on Hypori, but was that enough to justify calling what you had a friendship?

"He's..." You spoke softly, eyes gazing down at your palms in your lap. Your voice was quiet, contemplative. Yet you were surprised to find a bit of longing there. "...just someone I'm traveling with. That's all."

The Rishi beside you observed you with a keen, unblinking yellow gaze. You felt yourself warm under both his stare and your lingering thoughts. Then, Mando's voice filtered down from above. 

"We're here."

You followed Ankau up to the cockpit, green toddler in tow. As Ankau directed Mando as to where to land, you looked down at the mountain village from high above. It was partially obscured by fog, but even past the screen of vapor you could see the domed, thatched tops of huts towering up the cliff-side into the hills. An intricate network of rope bridges and winding paths connected the multi-leveled village. There were platforms built into trees, with fires constructed within. Look-out posts, you guessed. 

The village center appeared to be one large clearing, surrounded by a series of small huts. A larger domed structure sat to the upper side of the clearing, and through the fog you could see smoke coming from the pitched hole in the roof. Mando angled the Razorcrest towards the clearing. As you descended past the cloud cover you could see a number of Rishi villagers crowding to see the descending spaceship. 

Off to the side lay a smaller group of what appeared to be younger Rishii. You peered out the window, trying to catch a better glimpse of the children, but the overhead fog made it difficult to see.

“That’s my sister, down there.” Ankau said beside you, following your line of sight. You glanced at him, surprised by how well he was able to see. It must be a trait of his species, you pondered. “Her and the few remaining children.” 

You frowned worriedly, stroking the bald head of the child in your arms with concern. Your childhood was difficult in many ways, constantly scavenging and trying to survive without any parents. The thought of belonging to a tribe was comforting. Yet the possibility of a clan of adults trying their best to protect you and failing left an odd, familiar chill in your stomach. Before you could get a further glimpse of the children, the Razorcrest began its descent through the cloud cover.

Mando set down the Razorcrest with a low hum and the hiss of cabins de-pressurizing. You watched as Mando completed his landing sequence, hearing the groan of the cargo ramp lowering below. Ankau was quick to descend, and soon you heard him chattering excitedly to the rest of the village outside. You waited until Mando stood, tracing his still tense shoulders with your gaze.

"Mando, I-" You tried, but he was already climbing down the ladder. You paused, breath baited for a moment. Then, with a soft disappointed sigh, you followed him. 

The air was crisp, cleaner than in the city, you realized as you stepped outside onto the ramp. It was cooler, elevation tampering down on the nearly stifling humidity of the lowlands. Some of the fog still lingered beyond the inner circle of the village, but the bright sun peeking through the clouds had begun to burn much of it off. You followed Mando to the bottom of the ramp, keeping the kid in your arms lest he wander off again. 

Ankau was speaking animatedly to a small crowd of villagers. You realized that his bronze colored feathering was not homogenous to the rest of the tribe. Many of his fellow villagers bore colors that ranged from a dark, muted blue to a stark yellow tinted with white feathers under the wings. They were strangely beautiful, each as individual as the other despite their various heights and plumage. 

You couldn't follow much of what Ankau said, trying to decipher his native tongue. However, those gathered seemed to receptive to your arrival, nodding and fluffing excitedly. Mando stood silently, observing the crowd with a steady gaze. 

At once the crowd hushed, heads turning and bodies making way for a bent, scraggly Rishii. His feathers seemed lackluster, a soft grey with what used to be an iridescent green tinting. His plumage was almost patchy in areas along his torso, indicated a long-lived lifespan. The villagers stepped back to let him pass. You realized at once that this level of respect was likely reserved for the village's chieftain. Mando seemed to sense so as well, offering a small bow of his head which you followed. 

"Welcome to our village." The aging avian before you greeted. "My name is Arvod Suun. it seems you have already met my grandson." He nodded to the Ankau, who stood quietly to the side. 

Mando nodded, offering no other words, and instead allowing the chief to continue. 

"I wish that this was something we could handle ourselves. However, the one hunting our village is...elusive. A phantom."

Din tilted his head, and you tried to discern the gesture. "Not for long." He spoke, voice hoarse through the modulator. 

If the Rishii could smile, you were sure Arvod would have given Mando a pleased smirk. 

"In which case, please allow Ankau to show you to your lodgings. We cannot offer much, but while you are here consider this your home."

"Thank you." You spoke from behind Mando, who turned slightly to keep you in his vision. 

You followed Ankau to a small hut a short distance from the inner clearing. The hut you were ushered to stood semi open, a wood screened wall on several sides with the other section open but supported by decorated beams. A small fire pit sat in the middle. You weren't sure what you were expecting in terms of sleeping arrangements, but a literal nest should have probably been there. It looked like a straw mattress at first, albeit slightly hollowed out and round. For a moment you wished for the comfortable yet lumpy mattress back at the inn. Better to lie in the grave you dug, now that you were here. 

Mando observed the hut, glancing around the small space. The nest-mattress sat off to one side, with the dug in fire pit beside it. Several woven baskets contained a small assortment of blankets, and a large clay jug taller than the child you were carrying contained fresh water. It was...rudimentary, but clean and orderly, nonetheless. 

You felt Ankau bend beside you, leaning down so he could murmur in your ear. "Will you be needing a separate hut? I can ask for one to be arranged if you like." You blinked, realizing he was referencing your conversation in the cargo hold. You tried desperately to find an appropriate answer.

"That won't be necessary." Mando's voice interrupted, causing both of you to jump slightly. "This is fine."

You hazarded a glance at the Rishii beside you, who offered a small shrug of similar ambiguity. 

"Take your time to get settled in then. When you're ready, come find my grandfather and he'll tell you all we know about the phantom hunter." He concluded, taking the chance to duck out of the hut back towards the village center. You were left alone with the green child in your arms and a tensely quiet Mandalorian. 

You shifted awkwardly, still feeling Mando's tension hang in the air. Despite his familiar silence, his posture indicated a level of irritation he wasn't voicing. You had already tried to speak to him once about it, only to be brushed aside. He probably needed a little more time, you decided. 

"Let's get you something to eat, shall we?" You asked the green toddler, held against your shoulder. He made a small 'eh?' sound at you, eyes still following Mando as you turned to exit the hut. 

"Are you _trying_ to put yourself in danger?"

You froze, brow furrowing as you turned back towards the hunter before you. He faced away from you, but it was clear he was speaking to you. 

"Excuse me?" You replied, a mixture of confusion and shock in your voice.

Mando turned halfway to you, regarding you with an even stare. Even with the helmet on you could _feel_ his piercing stare. 

"You help protect the kid, I keep you alive. That's our agreement." He spoke, and you could hear him fall back into that blunt, professional tone of his. "So why is it that we're all the way up here, chasing down a dangerous hunter?"

You blanched somewhat but squared your jaw and returned his leveled gaze. "Someone needed to help these villagers." You countered. "I knew you could."

“It doesn’t matter if I can.” Mando all but growled, and you automatically took a step back at his resentful tone. You quickly composed your face, hiding the look of hurt that passed over it. Not soon enough, because Mando noticed almost instantly. You could see him compose himself, voice evening out but still containing its frustration.

"This hunter, they're dangerous.” He continued “If they can kill fully grown Rishii and escape with a dozen children, what's to stop them from deciding to shoot you next?" You shrank a little at the possibility, not particularly fond of having a sniper bolt through your chest. "You're putting yourself in danger by asking me to help these people. Why?"

You had to take a deep breath before speaking again, realizing you and Mando were approaching this topic from two very different standpoints. "Why else?" You responded at last. "They need our help, so we try to give it."

"Even if it means putting yourself at risk?" His instant reply made you stiffen, but you stood your ground. You knew his tone was more out of a frustrated concern than a real anger at you, but it rubbed you uncomfortably nonetheless.

You paused, knowing your answer but hesitating to speak it aloud. 

"Wasn't that what you did for the child?" Your voice was soft, almost pleading against his harsh tone. 

Mando stiffened, shoulders tight and hands gripped at his sides. You had called his hypocrisy and could sense the kindling it gave to his already cindering annoyance.

"I'm trained." He pointed out bluntly. "I have experience. You-" and he jerked a finger at you. "-do not."

"I know." You acknowledged, trying to ease your voice. "That's why I asked, because I knew you could do it.”

Mando must have heard the softening of your voice, because he eased as well. You could see his chest rise and fall in a frustrated sigh. Your words must have hit the right balance with him, because you could sense, rather than feel him ease. The air between you two stood still, and suddenly Mando was closing the distance between you two. He approached softly, movements gentle not to spook you or the child after having spoken with such irritation. You inclined your head to look up at him, curious expression reflected in the black of his visor.

"Fine." He acknowledged at last, voice a murmur now. It was modulated through his helmet, but the softness wasn’t abated. "But you have to promise me to stay inside the village and keep your blaster with you at all times. Even if I'm here with you, understood?"

You nodded seriously, despite breathing an internal sigh of relief. 

"You are not allowed to go tracking with me. If I'm gone, stay in sight of the other villagers, the kid included. Do _not_ let him out of your sight. Not for a single moment." His voice was stern now, tone bordering on warning. You nodded again, holding the infant tighter in your arms as if that would protect him. Still, you were glad you had managed to avoid Mando’s frustration. Again, you had to remind yourself that he was likely concerned for you and the child rather than being apathetic to the circumstances.

"Good." He spoke, and his voice was a low gravel in his helmet.

Just like that, a small flutter flipped over in your stomach. You blinked up at Mando, trying to place the odd feeling. Mando didn't move, still staring down at you. Despite his intent gaze, you didn't wither from his scrutiny. Instead it felt...oddly warm with him so close. Comfortable, yet strangely anticipatory.

Your thoughts wandered, neither of you moving. He was still so close. Was he this close last night while you slept? How did you bear it? How did you manage to sleep so well, being back to back with his larger form beside yours? The hazy, almost imperceptible memory of someone stroking a nascent hair away from your face resurfaced unconsciously.

Had he...?

A wailing, inhuman shriek made both of your gazes snapped to the village center. You jumped at the sound, instinctively holding the child against your shoulder. Mando stepped around you, quickly rushing in the direction of the scream. You followed close behind. Before both of you could reach the clearing, shoes scrunching the grass under you, Ankau appeared in your path, shoulders heaving with exertion. 

"It's happened again." He gasped, form trembling. "M-my little sister...she- she’s gone."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //looks at how long this chapter was supposed to be  
> //looks at how long it's become  
> //sweats
> 
> Good evening loves,
> 
> Remember how I was like 'I'm going to update once a week and keep myself to a good schedule and make up for it with slightly longer chapters, probably around the 4.5-5k word range'  
> ha.  
> This chapter alone is 5.8k words. I had a random burst of inspiration on Sunday and...spent all day writing. ;w;  
> Sometimes self-care is you, your plotline, and your now 41k word fic.
> 
> Anyways, we're now into the Rishi arc, which was plotted with the help of Smellmeeve. (Thank you dear for all your help!) There's a fair bit of world building in this arc, hence the long chapter. I'm curious to know wat you guys think about this arc so far, so please let me know your thoughts. Hopefully I haven't lost anyone by expanding canon a little and putting our trio in some interesting circumstances. 
> 
> Do you guys like this chapter length? Is it too long? Would you be okay with this kind of length in the future? I'm curious to hear feedback on this chapter, given how info-dense and long it is. Let me know!
> 
> I'm not sure when the next chapter will be, hopefully by Friday. I'll see you all then!
> 
> \----
> 
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	11. Part Eleven: The Children

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Traveling with Mando had proved to be interesting, exciting even. It spoke to your need for adventure, the thrill of traveling places you had never been. Yet it was dangerous. Traveling alongside two wanted fugitives meant you always had to stay one step ahead of those chasing you. 
> 
> Here, however, it was different. Once Mando tracked down and dealt with the hunter, the village would be safe. It would be far, far away from the reaches of the Empire or the New Republic. You could be free. 
> 
> It was what you had always dreamed of. 
> 
> ...Wasn't it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw for references to child neglect and child death

_The sound of children laughing played in your ears, each voice a note in a greater ethereal symphony. It sounded like sunshine, like open skies and the familiar touches of friends and bedmates. You could hear voices spoken as if through water, the words unknown and faces hazy in your vision. Your body felt heavy against the embrace of memory, soul floating somewhere between dream and reality. Someone called your name, and you could feel yourself rise to join your friends. Their small hands and outstretched arms jostled against you against the distant tinkling sound of laughter. The cream, glowing light of your home shone down on your small forms as you ran alongside them. You felt yourself smile, being bounced between bodies as you wrestled and frolicked under the watchful gaze of your guardians._

_You thought your life would never be anything else than this. Endless days of roaming ornate hallways and hiding from teachers, collapsing into piles of pillows together after you had all exhausted yourselves. In the night, words were spoken with wonder as you watched holos play under tented blankets. You were never cold, always a play fellow to curl against as the sun faded. In the morning you all would rise again, each day the same but somehow wonderfully new. It was the stuff of life, to carouse and play and be protected by the adults who watched over you. Nothing could quite compare to the happiness your days entailed._

_Then, the smell of smoke, the roar of fire, and your name screamed in an unending catastrophic chorus._

You blinked slowly, images and sounds fading. The breaths constricting your chest slowly evened out, and you began to discern your tumultuous thoughts from the world around you. What dream was that? You didn’t have a memory of such a place. 

"Are you alright?"

Blinking, you turned to the avian seated next to you. His large, owl-like stare peered down at you worriedly. It took you a moment to place yourself.

"Mm." You nodded wearily. "Sorry, I didn't mean to doze off."

Ankau shrugged, and you could hear the rustle of his feathers. "You stayed awake for some time last night, waiting for the Mandalorian to return. I can't blame you for lack of rest."

You nodded, thoughts still hazy. You hadn't meant to nod off, but the warm afternoon sunlight in the village center had warmed your skin and allowed you a moment of respite from the chaos of your worry.

Mando still wasn't back. He had left as soon as Ankau had spoken the news about his sister. He had been gone all day yesterday. Even as evening drew dark against the horizon and the burning sun had dipped below the horizon, he hadn't returned. You did as he said, kept your blaster with you, stayed in sight of the other Rishii. Ankau had stayed with you, close by your side well past dark. 

You put the child to bed, listening to his small snores and steady breathing against your chest as you rocked him. All the while your eyes scanned the rise for Mando's approaching figure, waiting for his armor-clad silhouette to appear out of the jungle darkness. Eventually you had given up, making yourself as comfortable as you could in the straw nest mattress you had been given. It was only once you did that the sound of Mando's footsteps had brushed against your senses. 

He was tired, exhausted after chasing a fruitless trail through the forest into the night. You hadn't expected him to come back empty handed, and the disappointment showed similarly in the slouch of his shoulders. He hadn't spoken, merely checked on the child before folding himself into a dark corner of the hut. You had offered him the mattress, but he shook his head only once. You curled into yourself, feeling the whisper of night air tickle through your hair as you fell asleep.

He was gone again by the time you woke up. 

Ankau told you that he had left early that morning, well before sunrise. As quickly as he appeared he vanished back into the jungle in search of his prey. 

It worried you, this relentlessness. Yet there wasn't anything you could do about it. Something had fixated him, and you were sure that even if you tried to break his concentration and tell him to rest properly, he would ignore you. 

So instead you set yourself to the things you could do. You fed yourself and the child, watched him play, and kept him nearby as you occupied yourself. It would have been the perfect time to tinker with the various issues on the Razorcrest but found yourself missing the tools to do so. Instead you had found Ankau, who had offered a tour of the village. 

It was larger than you had first realized. You had the disadvantage of not being able to fly, and what you could see was limited by your height. The village itself had seemed not particularly large from your view on the Razorcrest. Yet as Ankau had led you along the secret winding paths that climbed into the hills, you found yourself thinking differently. 

There were entire levels that you couldn’t reach. Rope bridges connected cliff-side nests and huts. A waterfall on one stony peak fed the village's water supply. It had taken an hour to climb up to see it, yet the sight was dazzling. The light hitting the water colored it like encrusted kyber crystals falling from a stream far above. 

You were unsure if Ankau was trying to distract himself, you, or both. He was rattled from the day before, words often drifting into silence as his thoughts overcame him. You had tried to talk to him about it, but he had simply insisted that Mando would be back soon, his sister in tow. You tried to tell yourself that as well. 

After your exploration had ended you, Ankau, and the child in your care had retreated to the main clearing in the valley below. You were surprised to find a small group of children playing there. A number of adults looked on, eyes simultaneously scanning the children and their surroundings. You settled yourself on a nearby seat, allowing your charge to join in on the fun. With the sound of children laughing, and the Rishi sun warm against your skin, you found yourself nodding off until Ankau had awoken you. 

"I'll rest after Mando comes back." You told the avian beside you with a reassuring smile. 

Ankau nodded, and you could tell the mention of Mando's return had lulled him back into his churning mind. 

"I'm surprised that they're doing so well." You remarked, nodding to the group of feathered children not far from where you sat. They had started an impromptu game of tag, which the green toddler in your care had joined easily, toddling after with tiny feet.

"Children are resilient creatures." You blinked at the new voice, turning to place its owner. You were surprised to find chieftain Arvod approaching you from your other side. "They are like weeds, trying to thrive even in difficult circumstances."

You contemplated his words, eventually returning them with a soft exhale and agreeable smile. Turning his attention from you to his grandson, his voice became more serious. 

"You are to go rest, boy." He spoke, and you contained a humored smirk at his scolding tone. "A warrior needs his strength. I shall watch over our guest in your stead."

Ankau bowed his head deferentially, muttering a pardon before making his way out of your line of sight. The elder gestured to the empty seat beside you.

"May I?"

You nodded, scooting to make way for the chieftain. He settled himself with a heavy sigh, legs folded under him almost perch-like. You watched as he looked after the small group of children before you. While you had turned your eyes, someone had tagged the toddler in your care, and you watched as he attempted to chase the much larger children, who remained just out of his reach. 

The sound of children laughing floated across your thoughts like the sound of tinkling bells. 

“Children are stronger than you think.” Arvod spoke, drawing your attention. “It is their instinct to survive, to chase life.”

You nodded, feeling a familiar pang in your chest at the thought. The memory of cracked, dry alleyways and a constant, small empty stomach rose unbeckoned in your memory. You chased it away.

"I'm sorry about your grand-daughter." You offered softly to the elder beside you instead. He nodded solemnly, eyes closing with a soft sigh. 

"She will be brought back to the tribe, of that I am sure." He responded in kind, voice somewhat crackly with age. "Your hunter stalks the jungle like a Nexu. He will soon find what he is looking for."

You tried to offer an agreement, but again felt the pang of concern over Mando's long hours and single-minded focus. Had he at least eaten before he left? He came back last night too exhausted to talk, let alone have a meal. You hoped he would find at least some trail soon that would allow him a moment of respite. 

One of the children had pretended to be caught, collapsing into a dramatic heap, and allowing Mando's child to place a tiny hand on him. He cried out in mock agony, his woe-begone shriek echoed by a chorus of laughter from his nestmates. You couldn't help but smile at the scene, feeling a strange flutter of longing in your chest. 

You wish things had been like this. Surrounded by a clan, a tribe to take care of you as a child. The possibility of a litter of play mates was oddly bittersweet. It would have been nice to have friends to grow alongside, to chase and be chased by in endless days of fun. You found yourself longing for the peace the image brought, of sunshine colored days and warm serene nights lit by the moon.

There were other orphans beside you on Kaddak. Like you they were bedraggled, hungry, dirty. Wearing whatever they could find and trying their best to survive on a nearly inhospitable planet. Like Arvod had said, they chased after the promise of a life worth living for with everything they had within themselves. The strong ones, the ones like you, that is. 

You remembered the kind ones, the ones who had offered you a corner of a blanket on rainy nights, the ones who had shared the small bit of food they had. You wished you could have had half a heart as kind as theirs. They were the ones who brought you small moments of fleeting joy in an otherwise terrible existence.

They were the ones who didn't survive to adulthood, their kindness ultimately their doom in a world where only the strong survived.

You had committed them to memory, engraving every benevolence of theirs to your being and promising yourself to do the same once you no longer struggled to feed yourself, to stay alive.

If they had been here in a place like this, perhaps you would have been able to see the people they evolved into as they grew. You wished you could provide that for Mando's child as well. 

"It's peaceful here." You found yourself saying, voice gentle. "I wish I could have lived somewhere like this as a child."

“And now?” You looked back to the Rishii beside you, eyes tearing away from a child yelling with laughter as they succumbed to their pretend chaser. You blinked, not understanding.

"Where is your place, then?"

You tilted your head at the avian beside you, brow furrowed in confusion. He only tilted his head in return, large eyes gazing at you unblinkingly. 

"My place?" You echoed, unsure. He nodded.

You sat in silence, letting the question turn over in your mind. You watched the children as their game began anew, feathers flying as they danced just out of reach of the young boy Mando's child had tagged. 

Your place...

"I'm not sure I have one." You confessed, bringing your knees up and closing your arms around them. "I used to, but I had to leave it behind." Your dusty but warmly lit workshop appeared in your mind’s eye, the worktable covered in various half-projects. 

You tried to think of the image of your dream, the peaceful everyday existence in a world far from the Empire. You had seen a holo once of Naboo, with its endless lakes and ponds and sunlit streets. You tried to imagine yourself there, tinkering with a droid or some electronic in a warm workshop, the sound of water nearby. You had told yourself that you would go there once you had paid off your debt on Kaddack. Now it seemed like a distant half-dream. 

Traveling with Mando had proved to be interesting, exciting even. It spoke to your need for adventure, the thrill of traveling places you had never been. Yet it was dangerous. You hadn't forgotten the Imperial bounty on your head, the threat of a cell on a remnant starship under the hostile gaze of stormtroopers. Traveling alongside two wanted fugitives meant you always had to stay one step ahead of those chasing you. 

Here, however, it was different. Once Mando tracked down and dealt with the hunter, the village would be safe. It would be far, far away from the reaches of the Empire or the New Republic. You wouldn't have to worry about hunters or bounties or the threat of stormtroopers dragging you to an unwanted fate. You could be free.

You could leave Mando. 

You blinked, the thought sending a cold weight sinking down in your chest for reasons you didn't entirely understand. Absently, you lifted a hand there, letting it settle over your heart and feel the thrum under your fingertips. 

A life free from the Empire, peaceful and full of sunshine and the company of others. It was what you had always dreamed of. 

...Wasn't it?

\- o - o - o - o - o -

Din had been walking since before sunrise, chasing the ghost left behind by the hunter from the day before. 

He had spent the majority of the day before doing the same. The villagers had been truthful when they said that the abductor was a phantom. There were no traces to be found anywhere in the immediate outside of the village. No trace of blaster fire, no signs of struggle, nothing that indicated a forceful abduction. Even with his visor's sensors he couldn't discern any other footprints sans the village hunters who set out into the forest daily in search of prey. 

He had spoken to them briefly before his departure to try and understand exactly what had happened. They couldn't offer him much more than he already knew. The children had been playing the night before, and as the Razorcrest had touched down they had scattered in search of parents and older siblings. The young Rishii who had gone missing last night, who learned was named Aya, had raced down to the lower clearing to greet her returning brother. 

She had never made it. Instead, she had simply vanished into thin air. 

It didn't make any sense. No child just...disappeared like that. There was always a trace. Din had managed to find her prints, and they indeed led down to the lower valley. The peculiar thing was they had suddenly taken a turn halfway through her journey, as if someone had called her. From there they led into jungle before just...stopping. 

He had scanned the area for hours last night, trying to discern something, _anything_ that could give him a lead. Yet as the sun sank and darkness beckoned, he had lost whatever margin of time he needed to gain the upper hand on the chase. Eventually he had returned to the village, frustrated, and mentally exhausted at trying to find the edges of the puzzle that could reveal a larger picture. 

Your face appeared to him, weary and concerned as he tucked himself into a darkened corner of the hut. Din had brushed off your offer of the bed. He knew that with a dangerous hunter so close he couldn't truly afford to sleep. Instead he resigned himself to simply doze, senses still awake and alert to any possible intruders or threats. Yet the sound of soft, steady breathing from both you and the child had eventually lulled him into a restless slumber. 

He had set out again before first light, following the village hunters into the jungle along the well-traveled footpaths as they checked traps laid the day before. He had found the occasional set of prints wander farther into the jungle, chasing them until they had eventually doubled back. 

So instead he had expanded his search range, wandering further and further into the undergrowth in search of answers. 

It was oddly silent this far into the forest. Din had spent a fair amount of time in jungles and the backwoods of the outer rim and had grown accustomed to hearing the unending litany of creatures great and small sing from the treetops, streams, and greenery around him. However, the usual chorus of birds, frogs, and predators was uncannily absent from the woods surrounding the village.

It meant it was more difficult for Din travel unnoticed through the dense foliage. He didn't consider himself heavy-footed, having spent so much time training and practicing chasing after unknowing quarry. Yet every crunch of dirt under his boots, every brush against the ferns and hanging vines seemed to echo loudly into the jungle. 

He had fallen back into his hunter's training easily, the quest of hunting down unsuspecting prey second nature to him. He was chasing an invisible enemy, and it meant that he himself had to be invisible as well. So, he moved carefully, stalking like a soft-footed predator. His breathing was soft, muted even further by his helmet. He stuck to the shadows, careful of the sunlit patches that would reveal his shining beskar. 

There were still no prints, no indications of anyone having travelled this far into the jungle. Yet this was the direction that the girl had headed before she had vanished, so there had to be some clue. Din doubted that she had simply wandered off by herself. No, it was much more likely that she had been lured into the woods. But by who?

No doubt the children of the village had been warned against strangers, warded away from the edges of the village. They would have been tempted by something, someone, that they knew well enough to consider stepping outside the village boundary. Din was becoming more and more convinced that this hunter was a phantom only through blindness. 

It was one of the villagers. 

It was the only theory that made sense. None of the children would wander beyond the confines of the village for anything less than someone they knew and trusted. The lack of prints could be explained that way as well. After all, a being that had the ability to fly didn't need to bother trekking through the dense foliage. By doing so they could leave no trace, soaring above the trees with the child in tow.

For what reason someone would do as such, he didn't know. After all, what reason did any of the villagers have to capture and abduct their neighbors' children? Members of their own community? Din kept himself from imagining the worst. He had seen his fair share of depraved individuals across the galaxy, and the thoughts of what could have happened to the children pried at his thoughts like a narrow, piercing knife. 

He shook his head once, trying to dispel the awful images that rose unbidden in his thoughts. There was no use thinking about what could or could not be, it only distracted him from the task at hand. 

Children were precious in Mandalorian culture. In a society built around warriors, fighting, and the fierce struggle to survive children were seen as a cornerstone of the continuation of the Mandalorian way of life. Din had been taught as much as a child, raised alongside his classmates and playfellows. Mandalorians belonged to a violent society in many ways. Lives were spent attaining honor through battle and were often cut short be such endeavors. Children were raised to be fierce warriors not only to achieve glory through their endeavors, but to live a long lifespan and hand down their knowledge to the next generation. 

Din knew that if a child had been abducted from the covert on Nevarro, the entire clan would have torn the planet apart to find them. Though the culture on Rishi was different, the principles were the same. Threatened by an existential enemy, the Rishii had retreated to themselves in the mountains to survive in peace. Their children were the proof of their continued survival against outside enemies. Din was not oblivious to the kinship he shared in that regard. 

So then why...?

He would need to speak to the chief again, have him confirm Din's suspicions so that they could begin the hunt not just beyond the village, but inside of it. Din would still hunt through the forest, trying to find any indication of where the children could have been abducted to. If his suspicions were right, however, he would need eyes inside the village as well. 

He had to do so without alerting the abductor, else he risked them taking flight and taking the missing children with them. If he managed to find where the children were held, then that would hopefully not be a problem. 

It meant, beyond all likelihood, that he would have to use you as his eyes and ears inside the village. 

The thought unsettled him, even if he refused to admit it aloud. You had proven yourself several times before, but each time had resulted in a significant risk to you and the child. Yet you had no genuine experience. You knew how to shoot (barely) and knew how to defend yourself, but to go on the attack, to chase down someone? Not only was he unsure about you would be able to do so, he was concerned about the danger it put you in.

He tried telling himself he was only concerned out of fear for the child's safety. You were his guardian while Din was gone, and thus any risk you carried was carried onto the child himself. Protecting you as long as you were protecting the child was in Din's self-interest. 

Yet somewhere along the journey you two had embarked on, Din had found himself unwilling to put you into danger. Maybe it was the way you had curled around the child at the waystation all those cycles ago, your concern for him despite the perilous threat to your own safety. Maybe it was your determination to aid him despite being the threat of imminent death on Hypori, or the way you had pressured him to help the Rishii villagers without any real benefit to you or himself.

He had called you _Cuyan_ , survivor. Not only for your unrelenting fight to stay alive, but your determination to save those you could along the way. 

That selflessness was a dangerous trait in a galaxy of selfish individuals who would gladly sacrifice others for their continued survival. Yet that was the reason Din found himself drawn to you in a strange, unbalanced orbit. It was mesmerizing in a way, a mystery he couldn't fully unfold. He couldn't explain it, not yet. 

It was for that unknown reason that Din tried to keep you away from the circumstances at hand, had tried to prevent the three of you from traveling to a place haunted by this strange phantom. Innately, he knew that by doing so you were risking yourself. Yet your stubbornness had slowly revealed itself, letting you burrow under his armor and pull at his thoughts in a way no one else had managed.

The time you two had spent together had closed some of the distance Din had constructed between you. It had emboldened you, letting you take small strides towards him. Surprisingly, Din had let you. As much as he tried to avoid it, to tell himself he needed to take two steps back with every step you took forward, he found himself unable to do so. He couldn't help the fascination that brewed inside him, the desire to know the person you truly were.

The sun was high in the sky now, shining through the forest canopy and casting stark shadows against the jungle floor. The blaze it generated bore through Din's metal armor. He could feel himself dripping with sweat under his cuirass. Stars, when was the last time he had a proper bath? He would have to find a time to sneak away and scrub himself free of sweat and grime. Though if he was going to spend his days stalking through the thick jungle, he wasn't sure how much good it would do him. The thought of a cold dip in a nearby stream was...deliciously tempting, he had to admit. 

As if answering his call, Din could hear the trickle of water nearby. He nearly sighed with frustration. Now was not the time to indulge, not when he still had no lead on where the missing children could be hidden.

...Though he could at least take his helmet off and get a drink.

Still ensuring his footsteps remained silent, Din crept his way over the source of the sound. Against a sheer cliff wall there was a small but steady steam flowing down from the peak above. It pooled just deep enough for someone to wade through if they wanted. Din had to battle a moment of temptation, clothing sticking to his body like a second skin. Instead he glanced about, ensuring he was the only person who could possibly be nearby. Then, with great care, he removed his helmet and let his bare skin feel the warm sunlight against his face. 

Din discarded his gloves, feeling the chill of the water against his fingertips. Using his cupped hands, Din drank down several throatfuls of water. The water was cold, having traveled down from high in the mountains. Stars, he could swear it tasted almost sweet with how refreshing it was. He scooped several more handfuls, splashing his face and pouring some between his shirt and back. 

He was so lost in how good it felt that he almost missed the scuffed dirt tracks right next to his disposed gloves. 

Din frowned, pausing. The water on his face dripped back into the pool, ripples lost against the larger current. Instantly his thoughts were ripped away from the cool taste of water against his lips. Hunting instincts overtaking him, Din donned his helmet once more, waiting a heartbeat for the visor to click on and let him see the world using the built-in sensors. 

He was right. There were two pairs of tracks, each distinctly Rishii. The four taloned feet left behind unmistakable prints. At first he was inclined to believe it was simply a pair of village hunters, stopping for a drink whilst out checking traps. Upon closer inspection, however, it became clear one of the set of footprints was from a child. 

A lead. 

Din could feel the tension, the coil of his gut from the realization. Slowly, the pieces began to fit together. Whoever the villager was that had abducted the children, they had flown away from the village with Ankau’s sister in tow. Carrying a child was an arduous task, so they must have set down to rest briefly before resuming their trip. 

The fact that they were able to get so close to the village without alerting the guards meant that they likely had some type of alibi to cover themselves. If Din had to hazard a guess, it was likely they disguised themselves as a hunter. Gone for long hours in the day, they used that time to travel back to their camp where the children were being held. Then they’d return to the village to maintain their cover. All the while they could scope for new targets and feed the rumors about a ‘phantom’ to avert suspicion from themselves. It was a good plan, he had to admit. However, if the lack of prints, their ability to fly, hadn’t been part of the equation, Din could have figured it out much sooner. 

Before he could consider any further, a sensor pinged in his helmet. Someone was coming. 

Din all but dived into the thick foliage, draping his cape around him to hide the beskar should it shine through the ferns. 

He didn’t have to wait long for the being to descend, broad wingspan briefly blotting out the sun as they crashed through the tree canopy. They landed somewhere beyond Din's vision, in front of him and somewhere to the right. Din himself was frozen still, not moving, barely breathing in an attempt to keep himself concealed.

Then, all at once, they revealed themselves. 

A Rishii, just as Din had suspected. They were dressed in similar adornments he had seen the hunters wearing, with wood carved decorations and woven fabric. Similar to Ankau they were a near bronze color, except the color was darker. A reddish tinge lit their shoulders as they crossed a patch of sunlight. White colored their face and parts of their chest. They turned, scanning for something Din couldn't see. As they did Din could see darker feathering across their back and down their tail.

Din watched, equal parts focused and perplexed. So, it was a villager after all. But where were the children? Why would a member of the village target their own community? It didn’t make sense.

There was only one way to find out. 

With the hand free of his cloak, Din snuck a hand down to his holster. The Rishii hadn't spotted him, not yet. They were focused on bending down to dip a canteen into the cold pool. A little closer and Din would be able to-

Then he stopped, mind catching up to his body. 

If he alerted them now he risked them escaping. They could easily travel back to wherever they had taken the children. With their flight ability Din wouldn’t be able to track them from under the tree canopy. If they had a spacecraft on hand they could jump planet before he could find out where they went. They’d be able to take the children with them and Din’s ultimate goal will have been forfeited.

As much as his instincts demanded he spring on the Rishii before him, gun and blade drawn to maim, Din needed to be patient. It wasn’t just this strange villager he was hunting, it was the children themselves. He wouldn’t be able to find them without the person standing beside the pool, bronze feathers lit by dappled sunlight. 

So, he remained still, one hand obscuring his beskar with his cape, and the other laying closely to his blaster. 

The Rishii glanced around quickly, unsure. From his spot in the underbrush Din could see their mind working. They were trying to figure out if their cover was blown, if their pursuer was nearby. They scanned the edge of the clearing, eyes passing over his hidden form without a second glance. _Sloppy_ , Din thought to himself.

No doubt they were headed to the village, either to maintain their cover or try for another abduction. Din doubted it was the latter. It was dangerous to attempt another kidnapping so soon. They likely were going to try and seamlessly blend into the village so as not to arouse suspicion. 

They were headed back to the village. 

The reality of it struck Din like a heavy-handed blow, and automatically his muscles coiled in realization.

_The child._ His thoughts supplied in a dangerous whisper. _Cuyan._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh gosh.
> 
> I really hope I didn't mess up with this chapter. I was almost done editing last night when I realized that parts of the ending scene made absolutely no sense. I spent all of last night trying to write my way out of the box I had put myself in. So while I'm satisfied with the rest of the chapter, the ending is...a bit sloppy. Fingers crossed I don't have to go back and edit this once its already posted. 
> 
> haaahhhhh...Oh well. Not completely satisfied with this, I went through like seven drafts to get here. It's as good as its going to get. Hopefully this isn't too confusing. All I will say is that Din's right. Not all is as it seems. 
> 
> \---
> 
> [Follow me on Tumblr!](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/sprout-fics)   
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	12. Part Twelve: Deception

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I found the hunter." He replied. 
> 
> "Are you hurt?" You questioned, hand raising to his upper arm before you could stop yourself. Your palm rested on his upper arm, just under his pauldron.
> 
> He turned his head, seemingly studying your touch. Realizing with a flush that you had broached an invisible boundary, you tried to withdraw your hand. However, Mando's palm landed on your wrist before you could. You thought he would wrest your hand away from him, but instead he simply held it there, contemplating. 
> 
> His hands were calloused, you noticed. Worn from many years of work. You weren't expecting the tanned, olive skin tone on his bare flesh. There were a few fibers of darker hair across his knuckles. Unbeckoned, your mind conjured an image of soft, curly dark hair under his helmet.

The sun was setting over the Rishi village. You had discovered that this was your favorite time of day on the planet. The blazing red sun dipped below the mountain range, past the vast ocean and into the sea. It left behind a burning trail of orange and pink clouds, and at the elevation within the mountains the peaks scraped the bare bottoms of fluffy white cumulus clouds. The humidity faded in the evening, leaving the air gentle and warm like a soft embrace. 

You silently promised yourself to take the child up to one of the hilly trails you spotted earlier for a better view of the dying sun, just as soon as you were finished tidying up the Razorcrest. 

After your conversation with Arvod, you had quietly retired yourself and the child into the ship. You felt an odd urge to be close to it, as if somehow being within the confines of the spacecraft could calm your churning thoughts. In an effort to distract yourself you quickly had set about tucking away crates, removing rubbish, and trying to sweep what dirt you could from the cargo hold. 

The child had been happy to follow you, having exhausted himself after playing with the Rishii children. You placed him on Mando's small bunk, occasionally offering him assorted items for him to play with or inspect.

"Hey, careful with that." You called to the child, who looked up at you with a small 'euye?' sound. Bending down, you removed a small screwdriver from the child's hands. He whined after it, three fingered claws reaching for his taken toy. You smiled apologetically, a hand gently resting on his wrinkled green forehead. 

"Nope." You insisted. "If you poked your eye out Mando would be very upset with me."

The child huffed, but otherwise ceased his complaining. As you moved to restore the tool to its compartment he began to babble at you, words babyish and unrecognizable. You chuckled, bemused at his attempts to speak. 

"Is that so?" You called back half-jokingly, listening to the toddler's gibberish reply. "Mm-hmm, tell me more."

You half-listened to the words, moving about the hold and tucking away various supplies. Despite the one-sided conversation, your mind was elsewhere. Your thoughts were still snagged on the notion from earlier, the idea like a stubborn thorn tugging at your consciousness.

You could leave Mando. 

It was the perfect opportunity. Rishi was far outside the reach of any Imperial remnants, and the village was remote enough that any off worlders would have no idea where you could be. The chances of you being tracked down by a bounty hunter or any imperial intelligence was next to none. The planet was beautiful, full of an endless ocean and towering cloudy slopes. The village within that was peaceful, its residents friendly and compassionate. 

You could see yourself here. Maybe you could teach some of the villagers repair skills or become an educator for the children in the village. You could have your own home, lit warmly by the Rishii sun and cooled by the mountain breeze. The days you spent here alongside the villagers could be ordinary but fulfilling, each dawn a new lesson in your new life. 

It was what you'd always wanted, to some degree. Of course, there was a part of you that longed for adventure, chasing the stars until their lights went out. You had always wanted to explore, experience the worlds you had only ever heard about. That was a luxury you couldn't afford, not while the scant fragments of the Empire still existed. A bounty was not something you wanted as your shadow while traveling. There were many years to come, however. If you waited long enough you could hopefully see the last darkness of the Empire extinguished, and then you would be safe. 

So then why did you have such a hard time convincing yourself?

You tried to tell yourself your doubt was silly. As much as you had begun to enjoy traveling with Mando and the child, they didn't need you. Mando would likely be pleased to hear you were settling down, and not have to worry any further about another crewmate being attacked, poisoned, or otherwise injured during traveling. He'd go back to taking care of the child like before, and you would have your ideal peaceful life. 

You didn't even know if he actually enjoyed having you around, or if he just tolerated it. He was always so hard to read. Not only because of the maskless helmet, but his movements and lack of speech left you scrambling for some type of interpretation to his thoughts. Either way you doubted he'd stop you once you told him you were staying. More likely than not he'd nod, wish you luck, board the Razorcrest, and that would be that. 

It made your chest ache with an odd pang that spoke of regret.

Regret, maybe, that you would never find out the strange connection between you and the child. Regret for not uncovering the reason behind your Imperial bounty. Regret at not trying harder to befriend Mando despite his brusque personality and gruff demeanor.

It was better this way, you told yourself. You were safe this way. Mando was better off without you, not dragging around an extra bounty. This was the best way, the only way. 

Yet your mind summoned the tangible feeling of Mando's arms around you while you were poisoned, his back pressed against yours in the tiny inn bed. You could hear his voice when he spoke your name for the first time, his small confession at the unofficial title he had given you on Hypori. Even past that, you could feel the feather light touch of someone brushing your hair away while you slept, chasing away the nightmare within. 

You would never find out how he really felt about you. 

You shook your head, realizing you had been hovered over the same box of med-packs for several minutes. Blinking, you tried to dispel any lingering thoughts on the subject. There was no use thinking about this now, not when there was still a hunter out there in the jungle. 

Which reminded you-

A small cry had you jumping to your feet, eyes frantically searching for Mando's young charge. He wasn't on the bunk. He must have slipped past you while you had been distracted. Dank ferrick-

There, just at the mouth of the cargo hold. He hadn't even made it to the ramp. Sighing with relief, you stood and followed him, reaching down to scoop him into your arms. 

"Quit trying to sneak off." You scolded him quietly, but he wasn't listening, wide eyes focused on the shadow at the foot of the ramp. You turned, nearly jumping in surprise at the person there. 

"Oh, hello." You spoke, eyes adjusting to the brightness outside. "Can I help you?"

It was a Rishii villager. One of the few blue tinged residents, in fact. You hadn't yet managed to see one of his variety up close and couldn't help but silently admire his iridescent blue and black plumage. 

"My apologies." He spoke, his voice a low tenor. "I didn't mean to scare the child."

You shook your head good naturedly. "It's quite alright." You reassured him. "Maybe getting spooked will teach this little guy that it's a bad idea to run off." You glanced at the toddler in your arms, attempting to give him a disciplinary scowl. You did a double take upon seeing his wide, fearful stare. 

Before you could puzzle why he was suddenly so frightened, the villager spoke again. 

"Is he the Mandalorian's?" He asked, tilting his head. You nodded. 

"He is. An adopted son of sorts. I'm taking care of him while Mando deals with the poacher."

"I see." The Rishii replied, and there was something to his voice that you couldn't place. A strange, almost unnatural curiosity. 

You studied him for a moment, but he didn't seem to notice. Instead his eyes remained on the child, who tucked himself against your shoulder with a small whine. You shifted uncomfortably, unused to such scrutiny. 

"Is there something I can help you with?" You asked tacitly after a long pause. The Rishii blinked, eyes settling on your once more.

"Ah. I was hoping to speak to the Mandalorian." He replied easily, as if he had never been staring in the first place. 

You gave him a consolatory, albeit uneasy, smile. "Mando isn't back yet. I can pass along a message if you'd like?"

The Rishii shook his head, and you listened to the soft flutter of his feathers as you did so. "It wasn't important." He told you, and then reached behind him. You couldn't help yourself, a strange anxiety settling in your stomach. You instinctively took a step back, which the Rishii noticed and froze.

You worried for a moment that you had offended him, and thought you certainly did when he eyed you with a hunter's stare. Then, movements slow, he produced a pair of gloves from behind him. You studied them for a moment confused, and upon realizing what they were, your heart plummeted to your stomach. 

Mando's gloves.

"I found these in the jungle as I was out hunting." He spoke, and your eyes darted fearfully to his owl-like gaze. "I did not recognize them as anything anyone in the village would own, so I concluded they must belong to the Mandalorian."

Cradling the child with one hand, you shakily took the gloves with your other. You could hear your heart thrum in your ears, the feeling of it beating away inside your chest momentarily stealing your breath. You had never seen Mando without his gloves. Why would he be walking around without them? Had something happened?

"Did you see him?" You asked the avian before you, and as much as you tried to stifle the tremble in your voice, you couldn't quite seem to stop it.

"No." He spoke, and you glanced up to see him contemplating your nervous expression. "I found these on a path. There seemed to have been...a struggle."

Again, your stomach seized, and you swallowed reflexively at the sensation. The child in your arms snuggled closer to you, seemingly sensing your anxiety. Again, you could hear him reach out through your mind, his small voice echoing your name uncertainly. You hugged him tighter in one arm, clutching the gloves to your chest in the other. 

"I'm sure the Mandalorian is fine." The villager spoke, but the reassurance in his voice didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'm sure he will be back soon with the poacher in tow."

You nodded, feeling your heartbeat wildly in your chest. You ducked your head, avoiding his raptor focused gaze. The child whined against your shoulder, shifting uncomfortably in your arms. 

"Thank you for telling me." You replied, voice slightly above a murmur. "I'll give these to him once he returns."

The Rishii villager nodded once and turned to leave.

"Wait."

He turned at your voice, head tilted in consideration. You looked up at him, and for a moment the anxiety in your stomach hardened into a stark resolution. You weighed your gaze on him, and he returned it unflinchingly. 

"Why didn't you go after him?" You asked, and this time your voice didn't waver. 

If your question caught him by surprise he didn't show it. He blinked once, slowly, weighing his answer. 

"He's strong." He spoke, and odd intonation to his voice. Before you could question him further he turned again, striding off in the direction of the village center. You watched his back grow smaller until he eventually faded from sight. 

It was only after he had fully vanished that you let out the breath you had been holding. It flowed past your lips with a small whoosh, tickling the long ears of the infant in your hold. He raised his head, looking up at you with a worried gaze. You summoned a wavering smile, trying your best to ease his fear. 

"Don't worry, Mando will be back soon." You told him, the words meant for yourself as well. "I'm sure everything is fine."

Your words did nothing to ease the anxiety settled deep in your stomach, muscles tensed in automatic preparation. Even so, you tried to project confidence in yourself. Mando wasn't some rookie bounty hunter caught over his head. You'd seen him take out a bar full of patrons, seen his blaster skills, and witnessed him take down a full ambush of Nikto pirates. A single scuffle in the jungle was nothing to him. 

Your role was unchanged. Take care of the child until Mando got back. So, you did just that, busying yourself and trying to assuage your fears. You had finished tidying what you could of the ship. Again, you wished for your tools so you could do more than sweep and pack supplies away. Maybe you could convince Mando to do a pitstop at some point so you could purchase some tools to fix his flying antique.

That was if you decided to stay. If Mando wanted you to stay. If he returned.

You frowned, mostly to yourself. This roundabout thinking wasn't getting you anywhere. Sighing, you balanced your hands on your hips, looking outside at the fading sun. A cool breeze wafted in from the open ramp, bringing with it the smell of salt and rain. 

You paused for a moment, making sure that the child was inside the hold occupied with the ball you had stolen from the cockpit controls. You inhaled deeply, letting the air settle in your lungs before exiting with a sigh. Eyes fluttering closed, you immersed yourself in the atmosphere of the village.

The village was busy. The hunters had returned for the day, bringing back their prey for an evening meal. You could smell cooking fires, the smell of cooking meat mouth-wateringly sweet. Friendly chatter and laughter floated from the village center. Creatures called from the trees, signaling the end of a long day's work. The breeze rustled with fronds of the palm-like foliage in the jungle, the round achingly familiar to the feathery swish of the Rishi's wings. 

You swore you could feel the vibration of the earth under your feet, could feel the hum of the planet teeming with life. An odd sense of peace settled over you. The energy of the village and surrounding jungle whispered across your senses like the fleeting touch of a friend. You wanted to reach out a grasp it, hold it close to you and sink into the peace it provided. 

As soon as it came the feeling was broken by the heavy-footed approach of someone nearing the ship. Your eyes flew open, and instinctively you retreated a few steps inside the Razorcrest, hand reaching for the blaster in the back pocket of your overalls. You quickly landed in the stance Mando had shown you, dominant foot balancing the majority of your weight. You withdrew your weapon, eyes locked on the entrance of the cargo hold as a formidable shadow blocked out the fading light of sunset. 

Mando.

You felt your breath exit you all at once, relief flooding your chest. Before you could stop yourself, you holstered your blaster and trotted across the hold to greet him with a bright smile.

Mando's gaze snapped to you all at once, and suddenly you were being ushered inside, a hand to the small of your back as Mando's visor swept the surrounding area.

"Mando?" You questioned, the relief in your chest quickly overtaken again by anxiety. 

Mando didn't answer, and by his stance you could tell he was on high alert. It spoke of the few times you had seen Mando in action, every fiber of his being taut with readiness. You could imagine his eyes under the visor. Cold, calculating. 

"Are you alone?" He asked, words short as he escorted you inside. Despite his hunter's focus, his touch was gentle as he led you into the shade of the cargo hold. Once inside he faced you, eyes still scanning the ship for something you couldn't see. 

Your expression fell into unease at his actions. You had been worried about him being attacked, and the relief had warmed your chest at his arrival. Now you felt as if someone had poured ice freezing water over you, alarm rising alongside his abrupt wariness. 

"I-I'm alone." You replied, trying to hide the sudden shake in your voice. "The kid is here too. What-"

But you had lost his attention. Mando instead walked quickly away from you, pacing the length of the ship. His fingers traced over the walls of the hold, eyes peering under compartments and various fixtures. Before you could ask again he was climbing the ladder to the cockpit, cape draping behind him as he went. 

"Mando?" You called up to him, hands grasping the first few rungs on the ladder. Again, he didn't answer. Panic began to mount in your chest. "Mando!"

"Is the kid down there with you?" He called back, helmet briefly appearing at the top of the hatch. You nodded, and he vanished again. 

"Mando, what's this all about?" You yelled up, only to be met with the sound of him moving above. 

Giving up, you turned to the child seated on the bunk behind you. He watched the scene before him with wide, attentive eyes. You took him into your arms, though he mumbled a small protest in response. The weight of his form in your hold comforted you somewhat as Mando began to descend again. 

As he reached the bottom of the ladder, you saw his shoulders lower an inch in relief. He paused, as if collecting himself. Then he turned to you, stance now slightly more relaxed. 

"Are you alright?" He questioned, and the tint of concern in his voice made you huff in bewilderment. 

"I could ask the same of you." You replied, bouncing the child in your arms. "Did something happen?"

Mando shook his head once, and you were unsure if it was in reply or if he was clearing his thoughts. 

"I'm...fine." he replied at last, and you noticed the pause of his words. "I was...worried."

It took you a moment to stifle the surprise that rose on your expression at the softness in his voice. You gave him a smile, albeit a nervous one. "We're fine." You told him, trying to ease your voice soothingly. "I promise."

He nodded, and you could hear the almost imperceptible exhale of relief under his helmet. Still, a thousand questions warred for answers in your mind. Did he have a run in with the poacher like the villager from earlier said? Was he injured? Did he find anything, a clue maybe? What had shaken him so badly?

Before you could ask, the green toddler in your arms tried to lunge out of your grip, reaching for the hunter. Mando seemed a bit surprised, although he quickly accepted the child, who cooed happily. 

The sight warmed your heart once more. It wasn’t uncommon to see Mando with the infant, but the delicacy in which he carried the toddler surprised you every time. It gave a small indication of his softness in an otherwise foreboding figure. _”A twofold warrior heart.”_ You thought silently to yourself, a small smile tugging at your lips.

There was a pause as you and Mando both seemed to realize everything was all right. You were safe, Mando had returned, and for now the ship acted as a sanctuary to the three of you. You could see Mando ease, the weight of the infant in his arms grounding him from the shadows of paranoia in his mind. 

"What happened?" You asked softly, as if raising your voice would set him on edge once more. 

Mando looked up at you slowly, tearing his focus from the child. 

"I found the hunter." He replied. 

You tensed automatically, body reacting before your mind could fully process. Your chest fluttered with anxiety, beating feather light wings inside your ribcage. 

"Are you hurt?" You questioned, hand raising to his upper arm before you could stop yourself. Your palm rested on his upper arm, just under his pauldron.

He turned his head, seemingly studying your touch. Realizing with a flush that you had broached an invisible boundary, you tried to withdraw your hand. However, Mando's palm landed on your wrist before you could. You thought he would wrest your hand away from him, but instead he simply held it there, contemplating. 

His hands were calloused, you noticed. Worn from many years of work. You weren't expecting the tanned, olive skin tone on his bare flesh. There were a few fibers of darker hair across his knuckles. Unbeckoned, your mind conjured an image of soft, curly dark hair under his helmet.

"No." He replied, voice taking on a sudden softness, and you drew your eyes to him once more. "It was only at a distance." He responded easily, but his mind seemed to be somewhere else as he spoke. 

As if remembering himself, he let go of your hand and straightened. You let your palm rest on your opposite shoulder, feeling the cool touch against your now warm skin. 

"Have you seen a villager? One that was red-bronze, with white feathers?" He asked, and you blinked as his tone once again fell back into an even, professional rhythm. 

You shook your head. "No, I don't think so." You replied, trying to replay the day's events in your head. There was a scant few bronze colored Rishii in the village, including Ankau himself, but none with the exact coloring the Mando described. 

Again, your eyes strayed to his bare hands. The palm that had held your wrist in a delicate grip was helping cradle the long eared toddler to his shoulder. 

Blinking, you remembered the pair of gloves tucked into your back pocket.

"Ah, someone did drop by earlier." You fished for the gloves, making sure to not withdraw your blaster as well. "He said that you dropped these."

You produced the gloves, and the ease that had sunk into Mando's shoulder withdrew instantly. Again, he hardened, the black of his visor glinting from the dim lights of the cargo hold. 

"Who brought these?" He asked, voice low and dangerous. 

Your face fell, again puzzled by his abrupt change in tone. "A villager." You replied. "He was...blue, with darker feathers I think. He said he was a hunt- oh, hey!"

The infant was suddenly pushed into your arms, and a hand snatched the gloves your grasp. 

"Stay here." Mando barked, boots heavy against the floor of the cargo hold. "Go up to the cockpit and lock it. Do not let anyone in, understood?"

“What?” You asked, flummoxed. “Mando I-“

“Now.” He cut you off, twisting to stare at you over his tightened shoulders.

You shrank a little, genuine fear washing over you. You weren’t so much afraid of the hunter before you than his tone of voice. Mando hadn't spoken like that since the waystation past Kaddak. It was not a tone to argue with. It meant nothing less than to run, to get away. It warned of imminent danger should you not follow his directions.

You didn't watch as he bolted from the ship, eyes scanning wildly. Instead you spun towards the ladder, dashing upstairs to follow his instructions. Hurrying the child into the passenger seat, you slid and locked the door behind you. From the window you could see Mando sprint in the direction of the village center, blaster drawn. The sight startled you, but you forced yourself to breathe. Mando would be fine. He was more than capable of dealing with whatever threat he was chasing.

You could only trust he would come back safe. 

-o-o-o-o-o-

Din burst from the ship, your scared expression quickly replaced by pure focus on his quarry. He switched on the visor in his helmet, easily catching the fresh tracks that led down from the ramp towards the village center. Adrenaline pumping through his veins, he bolted after them, blaster tight in his grip. 

As he suspected, the tracks veered suddenly towards the edge of the village, disappearing quickly into the jungle. Thankfully the Rishii he was following had yet to take flight, leaving behind a clear indication of his path. 

He had left his gloves at the pool. He didn't realize until he was already back at the village. They were still wet against his fingertips. There was no way he had dropped them in the forest. The only person who could have had them was the other hunter. He hadn't even seen the Rishii pick them up. They must have realized he was hiding nearby-

Din cursed under his breath. He had underestimated them. It was a mistake he had made all too often as a younger man and had learned dearly from it. The thought of them getting so close to you and the child sent his blood boiling with deadly intent. 

The tracks were hot now, descending into a gorge. Din skid downwards and quickly tucked himself into the foliage, visor scanning the trees and surrounding jungle. They were close, the tracks having absconded into the tree line.

Beyond all likelihood, the other hunter was watching him too. Maybe it was their intention to lure him into the jungle like this, to try and turn the tables from prey to hunter. Din wouldn't give them the satisfaction. 

Silently, barely moving, he scanned the treetops. The jungle was silent, light fading quickly in the dense forest. Din barely breathed, eyes tracing the branches above. 

A flash of orange in his visor. There.

Before he could fire the flash of a muzzle caught his eye. He tucked into a roll, a blaster bolt singing the fern that had shielded him just a moment ago. 

Din rolled to a crouch, raising his blaster, and firing a shot at the avian. He was a moment too slow, the bolt zinging past the place where the Rishii had stood a split second before. A nearby tree trunk exploded into a puff of smoke. The abductor leapt upwards, further into the trees. Din's sight followed them, another bolt catching the tip of their tail feathers. Stars, they were fast. 

He fired again, and though he was sure he had hit his target, the villager did not fall. Instead they ducked behind a twisted trunk, waiting until his volley had ceased before firing back. Din felt the impact of the bolts ding against his armor, the blow jarring him but ultimately useless against the beskar. 

Neither of them spoke, the rain of blaster fire enough words for their violent conversation. Din advanced, avoiding a barrage of blaster bolts to tuck himself behind a tree. He could hear the impact of the gunfire on the other side, plasma making the wood crack and smoke upon impact. 

Thinking quickly, Din bent and caught a rock in his grasp. He tossed it off to his right, and in the moment the avian was distracted he emerged from his shelter, raining down a bombardment on the Rishii's perch. 

There was a small cry, and Din knew he had hit his mark. Yet when he again tried to advance on his quarry, he was met with a round of plasma to the center of his chest plate. The impact rattled him, but he remained standing. Instead of sheltering once more, Din stalked forward, ignoring the sharp ping of blaster bolt to his cuirass. 

Just a little closer, he told himself. If he could down them without killing them, he might be able to find out the location of the missing children. If he could only get a little closer...

The barrage halted, and Din heard a single click as the other hunter adjusted their blaster. He ducked behind a rock just in time, hearing the tell-tale whine of an electro pulse revving inside the muzzle of a rifle. He cursed, the voice modulator muffling the words. His beskar could hold up to plasma easily, but an electric pulse would send him reeling. Dank ferrick. 

"Come out, come out, Mando!" A mocking voice called through the trees. Din grimaced. "You'll have to do better than that to catch me!"

Din shifted, slowly, carefully. He turned over so he had a line of sight on the top of the gorge where the other hunter was obscured by a thicket. They weren't running away, deciding instead to lure him in and make a stand. 

The second he moved from his hiding spot Din risked being electrocuted. It was a war of patience at this point, one where the other hunter had the advantage. They could leave at any moment, fleeing back to where they held the children without a single track to trace them by. Din knew he only had one shot.

He rolled from his hiding spot, ducking behind another tree a split second before the electric pulse landed on the jungle floor behind him. As the rifle recharged he emerged, a plume of fire erupting from his gauntlet and causing the thicket in front of the other hunter to erupt into flames. 

The Rishii screamed in surprise, launching themselves upwards into the canopy. Din's sight followed them as their wings extended with a burst of wind. Then, he leveled his sights and fired a single shot into the branches. 

There was a heartbeat where nothing happened, and Din almost thought he had missed. Then there was a crack of a branch and a form hurtled down from the treetops, impacting the forest floor with a dull thud. 

Din paused, making sure the Rishii didn’t move and try to fire back. They remained still, the jungle suddenly silent now that it was devoid of gunfire. Tampering down on the small sense of victory rising in his chest, Din stalked forward.

Yet by the time he scrambled to the top of the gorge, the other hunter had again vanished, retreating into the forest. Din could hear them crashing through the underbrush, likely too injured to fly. The only trace that Din had hit his mark was the still glistening pool of blood. 

Green blood. 

Din paused in his movements, one foot hovering beside the blood stain. His sudden shock caused him to momentarily forget the chase. Green blood wasn't indicative of a Rishii. The avians had red blood, much like mammal-based species. So why-?

Realization hit him, the impact rattling him nearly as much as the previous blaster fire. 

Slowly, the pieces began to fit together. The two different avians, the ability to sneak in unnoticed to the village, the camp hidden somewhere deep in the jungle, the mysterious disappearance of the children. It made so much sense that Din wanted to smack his helmet against a tree trunk in frustration.

It wasn't a Rishii. It wasn't a villager.

It was a changeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta-dah! Behold my surprise plot-twist for this arc. Bet you didn't see that coming, hmm? 
> 
> It's been so long since I updated lol. Work, grad apps, financial aid apps, and spring semester courses are fully kicking my butt. I was so burnt out by Friday I just gave up and slept for 10 hours. I really had to push myself to get this draft done, and I'm not completely satisfied with it, but I don't think it will get much better from here. 
> 
> Wanted to give a comment shout-out from the last chapter to (and I can't get over this username lmao) bighonkymommymilkers who commented the following:
> 
> "stealing children isn't nice  
> din will put your head on a pike  
> but you hide the children near  
> so your head din cannot spear  
> so in stealth he waits for you  
> oh this avian mystery he will slew  
> as he watches you sneak by sly and slick  
> oh my god, din thinks, what a massive prick"
> 
> Bc it made me wheeze for a good five minutes. 
> 
> As always, please consider leaving a tip in my Ko-fi at [Sprout Fics](https://ko-fi.com/Manage/) . With application fees and recently having to get my car repaired, I would really appreciate whatever you could give. 
> 
> I also post updates/teasers to my [Tumblr!](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/sprout-fics)
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! See you soon!


	13. Part Thirteen: Preparation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It's...peaceful here." He said instead, thanking that the voice modulator stifled the sudden rasp of his voice. "It's what you wanted, isn't it?"
> 
> You wanted to live peacefully. You longed for adventure. You wanted a mundane life away from the Empire. You wanted to travel the stars. You wanted to let Mando go. You wanted to know your connection to the child. You wanted to stay. You wanted to leave.
> 
> "What do you want?" You asked, eyes suddenly bright against the dull overhead lights of the cargo hold. 
> 
> ...
> 
> "Do you want me to stay?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Recommended listening for this chapter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ux_GgPohL4g&ab_channel=L%27OrchestraCin%C3%A9matique (Put on loop)

The nighttime beckoned to you restlessly inside the Razorcrest. In its silence, the darkness whispered with the silky promise of sleep and imminent threat of the unknown. You sat with your knees curled to your chest, watching the sky above the mountains become revealed with the dissipating clouds. Behind the veil of atmosphere you could see the arm of the galaxy bend elegantly across the horizon above. The cool evening air chilled your skin, just cold enough to make you shiver but not enough to sink into your bones.

Behind you, inside the ship, the child dozed peacefully. His soft snores were one of the only sounds in an otherwise quiet camp. You wished you could also succumb to the soft embrace of sleep, but your mind was far too awake with the revelations of the day.

A changeling, Mando had told you. A Clawdite. One of the few rare species of the vast galaxy that could shape-shift. You had researched what little you could on the holonet transmitter in the cockpit while Mando talked to Chieftain Arvod and his advisors. By laying their hands on another life-form they could assume that person's appearance, and if skilled enough, mimic their voice as well. You had no idea that such beings even existed. You had seen a fair number of species in your time on Kaddak, but even then your education of the wider universe was somewhat lacking. There were so many things you had yet to learn about the strange galaxy you lived in.

What they wanted with the Rishii children you still had no idea. All you knew is that a raid on the camp was imminent, with Mando leading the charge alongside the village warriors. They had to leave immediately, running the risk of the poacher group lifting off and taking the children to stars knew where. There was only one chance, and it had to be tonight. You prayed that they would be able to get to the children in time.

Mando had announced the plan to attack to the village after he had returned from the jungle. You didn't have even a moment to ensure he was uninjured before he was gathering the village with the help of Arvod and Ankau. It was then that he had announced his discovery, holding aloft one of his gloves smeared with the tell-tale green blood of the shapeshifter. Mando had tracked the hunter back to their own camp, following the splattering of blood from the wound he had inflicted. There he found the group of hunters that had kidnapped the village children.

They were alive, thank the stars. That fact alone was enough to set some of the villagers crying with relief. Mando would need a strike team to both subdue the kidnappers and rescue the children. If it weren't for the children involved and the possibility of them being held as hostages, Mando likely would have been able to complete the mission on his own. However, their presence necessitated a full-fledged attack combined with the force of the village warriors.

Mando and the hastily assembled strike team would need to leave immediately. Within minutes of his announcement the village was buzzing with activity. Families dug out long since forgotten armor for their warriors, abandoned since the raids on the settlements. From your current perch atop the ramp to Razorcrest you could see more than one scene of families sending their best fighter to help retrieve the children and hoping that they would come back safely themselves. It was a dangerous mission, but one that needed to be done.

In the meantime, Mando sat meeting with Arvod and those who would be leading the attack, Ankau included. Your newfound friend seemed furious at the revelation that the hunter had been sneaking into the village for weeks disguised as one of their own and had been the first to volunteer for the mission. His eyes blazed with a righteous fury at the thought of his sister being taken from someone appearing to be her friend. You couldn't blame him. The thought that the other hunter had been within arm’s reach of you and the child without you noticing set a fearful bubbling fury boiling in your stomach. If perhaps you had noticed something was wrong, had withdrawn your blaster, then maybe-

You shook your head, feeling the soft rustle of the blanket draped over your shoulders as you did so. You had been right to do what you did. If you had engaged, you risked not only your own life, but the child's as well. It was one thing if you were to get hurt trying to stop the attacker, but if the kid had somehow been injured...

You didn't know when exactly you had gained such a fierce protection over the toddler in your care. Of course you would defend any helpless child without hesitation, but this case was...different. Again, you felt that strange pull at your senses, that odd feeling as if you knew more than you thought you did. The more time you spent with the adorable alien infant the more you felt as if this was not the first time you had met. When you tried to consider the thought, however, it vanished. Like trying to hold smoke in your hand, it wafted and disappeared.

Your thoughts were unceasingly restless. There was so much to consider given the relatively brief time you had spent on Rishi. From Mando's changed attitude towards you to the case of the kidnappings to the possibility of leaving the duo and never seeing them again...

A sigh escaped you as you bowed your head into your arms. It was only so long ago that your life had been a simple one. Working long hours for little pay but being satisfied with a mundane honest life was something far behind you now. Yet it wasn't so bad. The adventures you had experienced so far were the stuff of tales from off-worlders, told with an eye glinting of adventure. It made your current decision all the harder.

What was it that you wanted?

You perked up at the sound of boots crunching grass. A gaze cast upwards from your arms revealed Mando slowly making his way back to the ship, emerging from the darkness beyond the halo of light cast from the cargo hold. Beyond him the village hummed restlessly, torches lit and casting a hazy orange light above the tribe. You could hear quickly called orders and the constant movement of troops being made ready. Yet the world seemed to narrow, tunneling your vision down to the Mandalorian in front of you.

The slump of his shoulders and slow gait indicated a fatigue you had yet to see on him. Again, you were reminded that he barely slept the night before, having come back well after dark and left well before dawn. He must be exhausted, you thought silently to yourself. Yet still he was readying himself for battle, ready to retrieve the children no matter the cost. His single-minded focus from the day before weighed on him heavily, sinking his shoulders and slowing his step.

He paused at the bottom of the ramp, tilting his visor upwards to see you seated at the top waiting for him. You returned his gaze, tired eyes mirroring his weary stance.

"The child?" He asked without preamble, and you could hear the tint of exhaustion in the low vibrato of his voice.

"Asleep." You replied quietly, careful not to awaken the sleeping toddler.

Mando didn't move, eyes remaining fixed on you. You couldn't tell if he was considering your words or you yourself. The soft, pale light of Rishi's moons shone down from above, offering a dull glint of his beskar armor. In the silence that stretched between you two you could hear little else besides your own breaths echoing past your lip and the slow, steady thrum of your heartbeat.

Mando seemed to come to a silent conclusion to his thoughts, nodding once and beginning to ascend the ramp. He likely had come to retrieve his pulse rifle, maybe extra ammunition or blasters for the Rishi that could wield them. You rose, wrapping the threadbare blanket tighter around your shoulders as he neared.

"I...wanted to talk to you." You spoke, feeling the feathery lightness of anxiety surface in your mind.

Mando paused just as he was about to pass you, turning to give you his full attention. His gaze weighed on you heavily, and you felt your heart flutter a bit at his stare. Taking in a deep breath, you looked directly at his black visor.

"I want to come. I want to help." You spoke, voice resolute.

"No." Came his almost instantaneous response.

You blinked in surprise at the readiness and obstinance of his reply. You were expecting Mando to push back a little, but his complete shutdown of your request had you taken aback.

"But-" You tried, only to be interrupted.

"No." He stated again, stressing the word in adamance. "You can't go."

You frowned, feeling a small prickle of irritation rise along your skin. "I was the one to pressure you to take this job." You stated simply. "I think it's only fair that I try to help."

"You can't."

His words bit at you more than you were expecting, forcing you to nearly take a step back from the shock of his voice.

"That's not fair." You spoke, voice trembling with a mixture of hurt and anger. "I was able to take down that pirate on Hypori, I've been practicing my blaster skills." You tried to control the frustration in your tone, without much success. "Do you still...think I'm just dead weight?"

Mando's helmet jerked as if you had just taken a sudden step towards him. You could sense the shock of your words aimed at him.

"What?" He nearly bit back. "What, no, I-" You could see him struggle to find the words needed to speak.

Your shoulders slumped dejectedly. You knew it would have this outcome. You shouldn’t have even tried. But Mando's previous frustration with you had nagged at you since the night before. You wanted to help, you needed to help. In a way you wanted to prove yourself, prove to you and to him that you could keep up and not slow him down. Maybe that way you could justify trying to stay with him and the child.

"You're not coming because I need you here." he stated at last. You looked up, curiosity overwhelming your surprise. "To protect the child."

Your prolonged pause of bewilderment allowed silence to settle between you two. Mando tilted his head down to see you clearly. A long thin strip of reflection glinted off the darkness of his visor as he did. Seeing as you had yet to speak, he continued.

"You protecting the kid is exactly why I need you to stay." He went on. "If-if somehow I don't make it back, you need to keep the kid safe until you know for sure that the hunters have been taken care of."

The thought of Mando not returning briefly sent a spike of fear through you, but not before his words fully processed inside your mind. Realization made you widen your eyes, and a cold shame washed over you.

"So...you do trust me?" You asked, voice small and almost bitter with the fear of his response.

Mando froze, not even breathing as he took in your question. At first you thought that you had somehow asked too much of him, that he would suddenly widen the invisible gap between you once more and say that he didn't. Instead you could almost see the moment he also realized, how he came to a soft but undeniable conclusion inside his mind.

"Yes." he replied, and his voice was quiet but assured.

There it was again. That tone he only ever used with you. It was rare to hear his voice like that, soft but certain in his words. You wished you knew the true depth of that tone, what it truly meant. With each passing day the enigma of the Mandalorian before you seemed to lighten, and slowly the hunter was revealed to you. Yet there was so much that you didn't know, so much that you couldn't see inside his voice and hidden thoughts. Again, you wondered what expression he was making under his helmet. You wanted to imagine that his eyes were gentle.

You wished you could remain in this moment, one filled with a quiet uncertainty that set your heart fluttering. The space between you both was warm, comfortable with the mutual realization that the days of not trusting each other and being cautious of each other’s motives were fading. It made your current decision all the more difficult.

"There's...something else." You spoke, and suddenly your mouth was dry with the words. Mando tilted his head at you slightly, indicating you had his attention and regarding you silently.

You swallowed, the next words you were about to say heavy in your throat. "I..."

You ducked your head, feeling a bitter emotion wash over you. Still, you grimaced and summoned the strength to say: "I'm thinking of staying."

With your head bent you couldn't see the way Mando stiffened, couldn't see the way his eyes widened under his helmet. He remained still, glad that the beskar could hide his surprised expression.

He tried to rationalize your words despite his initial shock. It made sense. In fact, he should have realized it sooner. After all, your goal had always been to find somewhere peaceful. Din remembered your words at his initial encounter with you.

_"I don't want to die."_ A desperate, scared voice choked with tears.

He had tried to tell himself this. You were just along for the ride, staying only until it best suited you. Now that time had finally come, and Din found himself torn at the idea of leaving you behind.

"It's...peaceful here." He said instead, thanking that the voice modulator stifled the sudden rasp of his voice. "It's what you wanted, isn't it?"

You looked up at him again, forcing yourself to look at the black of his visor. Yet his question begged for attention, and you found yourself unable to summon the answer.

Was it what you wanted?

"Yes." You forced yourself to reply. "No. I...don't know."

You wanted to live peacefully. You longed for adventure. You wanted a mundane life away from the Empire. You wanted to travel the stars. You wanted to let Mando go. You wanted to know your connection to the child. You wanted to stay. You wanted to leave.

Then, as if the veil had suddenly lifted, you blinked. You had been asking yourself the wrong question this entire time. Your answer really only depended on one thing.

"What do you want?" You asked, eyes suddenly bright against the dull overhead lights of the cargo hold.

Din paused. It wasn't often that he asked himself this question. His life previously had revolved around not what he wanted, but what the Covert had needed. That was credits, beskar, secrecy, survival. Then his mission became the child and keeping him safe at all costs. Now with the addition of you, he had to ask himself once again what it was that he truly wanted.

"Do you want me to stay?" You asked, voice nearly a whisper. You were afraid of his answer, afraid of being left alone again. The years spent by yourself surviving were cold and bleak compared to this warmth you had found traveling with Mando and the child. You didn't want to die, yet you didn't want to be alone.

Mando looked at you, and to you it felt as if he was seeing you for the first time. You weren't able to see the way his eyes softened under the visor, the slow blink of his brown eyes as he came to an inevitable conclusion.

"Yes."

The breath you had been holding let loose from your lips with a soft sigh. You hadn't even realized you were waiting for his answer with baited breath, but now at his reply you felt your chest rise once more.

"Then, if it's alright with you, I think I'll stay." You spoke, words soft but assured now with his affirmation. You smiled, the first genuine smile you had given anyone all day.

Din was nearly breathless with it. Again, he was reminded by the enigma that was you. That fascination with this person that you were never ceased to amaze him. Out of all the people he had met in his infinite travels, he hadn't met anyone quite like you. Your compassion, the selflessness but intrinsic instinct to survive and desperate determination to do so was unlike anything he had seen so far.

"That...would be nice." He replied at last, the words almost shy. "The kid...he- he uh, likes you."

A look of bemused surprise crossed your face, and Din nearly wanted to kick himself for the blunder of his voice. Instead your mouth puckered, and unable to contain yourself, you laughed an almost breathless chuckle.

"I like him too." You replied, grin widening. Mando's awkward attempt to divert attention away from himself was somewhat charming. "He's quite the character."

Mando nodded once, and you watched as some of the previous tension eased from his shoulders. There was an amicable energy between you two now, one that made your eyes soften.

Yet you were reminded of the reason he was here. This strange, peaceful moment between you two was nothing more than fleeting. It was merely a precursor towards the conflict to come. Soon Mando would vanish once more, stalking off into the jungle with a team of fighters to his heels. You knew the only way Mando would return would be if they succeeded at their mission.

A distressed look crossed your face, and you hugged the threadbare blanket tighter about your shoulders.

"Are you leaving soon?" You asked, knowing the answer but nervous all the same.

"As soon as the warriors are prepared." Mando replied, voice still soft. "We'll attack while it's still dark, try to surprise them."

You considered this. It was a good plan, one that depended on the poachers not expecting Mando and the others to attack so soon. If they had correctly surmised they were coming, then...

"Things might go badly." He said suddenly, completing your thought.

You bent your head, a grimace tight on your expression. "I know." You replied, feeling the now familiar cold weight settle in your stomach.

"If anything happens, promise me you'll protect the child." And the way Mando spoke with such sudden urgency made you jerk your eyes up to meet the black of his visor in surprise.

You opened your mouth to assure him, and then stopped, lips tight.

"Nothing is going to happen." You spoke, surprising yourself with the conviction in your voice. "We're all going to be fine."

Mando paused for a moment, and then let out a small huff. You weren't sure what it meant, but in some ways you were sure that Mando needed to hear those words coming from you.

"Promise me." He said again, and this time you nodded.

"I'll keep the kid safe." You replied, eyes glinting with determination. "I promise."

Mando nodded, and once again moved to walk past you. Your voice stopped him.

"But-" He turned his head, looking at you over his shoulder. You stood with your feet firmly planted on the top of the ramp, expression serious. You could feel that same familiar gravity settle onto your shoulders, let it weigh onto your words. "You have to promise to come back."

Mando regarded you, and you couldn't see the inkling of a smile under his helmet.

"I promise." He replied, surprising you with how easy his response was. In that way you were certain he meant it.

You felt your shoulders relax, felt that uneasy weight in your stomach lift somewhat. Mando turned once more, heavy steps leading further into the ship.

"Get some sleep." He called back behind him. "I'll lock the ship."

You nodded, following him with soft footsteps. As he climbed up towards the cockpit you paused at his bunk, looking at the face of a softly sleeping child. His snores were the only sound in the ship besides your own heartbeat and Mando's movement above on the second level. One hand keeping your blanket tight about your shoulders, you used the other to gently trace the curve of one of his ears.

"I'm glad you have people to protect you, little one." You whispered quietly so Mando couldn't hear your voice. "I wish I had people like that when I was younger."

The child shifted in his sleep, pressing the wrinkled skin of his forehead into your hand. You wondered what he was dreaming about. Maybe he remembered his family, wherever he lived before Mando had found him. For all you knew they were still out there.

You grazed a thumb over his brow, eyes soft with affection. You wished you could rest peacefully as well, not knowing the chaos that would ensue in just a few hours. You were certain Mando would return, but the possibility of that not being true sent an unprecedented fear through you.

You weren't sure if you could do it alone, protecting him the way Mando had done thus far. You weren't a warrior, you could hardly aim a blaster straight. It wasn't just the child that the empire wanted, it was you as well. To protect both him and yourself was a responsibility more than you could imagine bearing. Yet you knew if it came down to it, you would save the child over yourself, fulfilling the duty Mando had asked of you.

Footsteps above signaled his return, rungs ringing upon contact with his armor as Mando climbed down the ladder. You turned just as he landed on the floor of the cargo hold, figure turning to face you. On his back was strapped the pulse rifle, the weapon large but not as much so against his broad frame.

A moment of silence stretched between you two. You weren't sure what to say, really. 'Good luck' didn't seem appropriate for a man of his skill. Nor did 'be safe' or anything similar.

"Good hunting." You said at last, offering a small smile.

Mando nodded once, turning to the mouth of the ship. He paused, waiting for you to follow him. You did, a bit unsure at his gesture. Your footsteps echoed across the hold, seemingly to only sound in the world before you stood atop the ramp leading outside.

"This panel." Mando spoke, a hand briefly touching the wall of the ship where a small array of buttons and indicators were housed. "As soon as I leave, engage ground security protocol. Nothing will get through as long as those doors remain closed."

You nodded, feeling a shiver run through you at the seriousness of his voice.

"Do not open the ship for anyone other than me." He continued, facing towards you now. "The changeling could be anyone."

You nodded, summoning a grim look of determination to your face. Mando turned to leave but hesitated as his eyes lingered on your form.

There was an uncertainty to his posture, some internal conflict you could not understand. Before you could ask he raised a single gloved hand and let it settle gently on your shoulder. You were expecting the weight of it to be heavy, a warrior's grip. Instead it was extraordinarily gentle, as if Mando was afraid to leave the whole heaviness of his palm against your form.

"Protect the child." He spoke, and your eyes widened both at his touch and the tone of his voice. Gone was the gruff, almost apathetic hunter. Nor did he sound of the strange tone that he spoke in when it was just the two of you, soft and quiet in the silence of the Razorcrest. This was the voice of a Mandalorian, a warrior raised to fight for survival of not only himself, but his entire creed. The conviction and command in it made your lips part in surprise and awe.

"I'll be back." Mando said in that same voice. Within an instant he was gone, striding down the ramp towards the village center. In the distance you could hear a warrior's cry, echoed by other shrieks pierce loudly into the night sky. Mando walked in their direction, moonlight glinting off the armor on his shoulders. Absently, a hand pressed the panel beside you, and the ramp began to ascend.

The last glimpse you caught was the shadows of the torch fires flickering against his form, and the figures of other warriors waiting for your hunter to join them in the march towards battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is so soft I'm-
> 
> I wanted a little bit of an interlude before shit really hits the fan in the next two chapters. Din and MC deserve that much. It's interesting seeing them develop as I continue to write, watching them interact and become more comfortable with each other. This chapter is a big milestone for them. Of course we'll see how that goes in the next two chapters as this arc concludes huehue.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who reads, comments, bookmarks, and subscribes to this fic. This really has become my outlet in quarantine. Imagining Din and Reader going on adventures and progressing as characters really gets me out of my headspace when it comes to lockdown. Seeing everyone's feedback just makes my day so much better all the time. Thank you.
> 
> See you next weekend!


	14. Part 14: The Counter Attack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It wasn't him. It wasn't him. You tried to repeat the thought as you planted yourself in between the hunter and the ramp, one hand reaching behind you to grasp the blaster in your back pocket. Mando wouldn’t speak to you that way. His firm, at points awkward wording would never reek with such hostility. Even if he had deemed you a threat, his words wouldn’t mock you so cruelly.
> 
> It wasn’t him.
> 
> Yet Mando's tall, broad form stood across from you, helmeted gaze peering down at you. For a split second you were reminded of the terrifying image of the Mandalorian staring down at you as you tried desperately to hide from him in the cargo hold all that time ago. His dark, warning voice echoing down at your horrified face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This a long boi, I recommend you get some snacks bc this bby is almost 8k  
> Also sorry in advance....>:3c
> 
> EDIT 2-18: I made some small edits to this chapter for clarification. Please go back and read again to get the full story. :)

The nighttime jungle of the tropical planet teemed with nocturnal life as Din and the others slinked through the shadows with an agile silence towards their target. Din moved at the head of the pack, listening to every footstep behind him in hopes that the sound wouldn't be heard by invisible enemies lurking in the forest. The darkness around them was only occasionally broken by a faint beam of moonlight through the thick tree canopy, where Din would look back to see a group of warriors twenty strong at his back.

The Rishii moved with a subtle elegance through the dense foliage and underbrush, accustomed to years of stalking prey from the trees and lightly trodden forest pathways. In many ways they were more suited to this mission than Din himself. The jungle darkness clung to them like a second skin, covering all but reflective yellow eyes peering from the darkness.

It had taken time to assemble the group that would raid the camp. There was only so much time before the group ran the risk of the poacher and his team taking flight. Still, moving too quickly through the jungle would alert the enemy of their presence. So, they were forced to move slowly, silently, like Nexu creeping over gnarled roots of trees and through ferns with bright eyes locked on their prey.

Din was only able to get a cursory look at the camp before he had bolted back in the direction of the village. He had been right in suspecting that there was more than one poacher at play. The enemy had more than a dozen camp guards, watching over a small sized freighter and a number of cages. He had caught a single glance of the Clawdite, appearing as the leader of the group, before they wandered into the ship.

If the children weren't involved, Din would have been able to handle this on his own. However, he ran the risk of being surrounded when one of the poachers inevitably used one of the Rishii children as a hostage. He had told the group following him as much before they set out.

They had three objectives. Free the children, disable the freighter, and find the Clawdite amongst the enemy forces. While the warriors would handle the camp guards and the first objective, Din took it upon himself to handle taking down the ship. The most challenging task would be finding the shapeshifter in a crowd of enemies. The only way to find out would be to injure and subdue each possible suspect until the Clawdite's endurance ran down from their injuries and they reverted back to their form.

That was, assuming that they didn't somehow shift into one of the warriors at his back.

It was Ankau's idea to have the warriors smear their feathers with pigment to differentiate themselves from any possible imposters. It was a smart plan, one that depended on being able to see in the thick darkness of the jungle. Din himself couldn't boast that ability, but the raptor like beings around him could see clearly even within the inky blackness. Din's visor did allow him a semblance of that vision, but not enough to distinguish an imposter from one of the attacking forces. He likely wouldn't know the Clawdite was attacking him until it was too late. It was a risk he had to take to complete the mission.

The incessant hum of life in the jungle, with its nighttime creatures and fireflies lighting the otherworldly growth along the mossy slopes and gnarled branches, dulled as they neared the camp. As if sensing the danger there, the chorus of insects and calls of creatures from the forest canopy quieted. Instead they were gradually replaced by the noise of the camp. Even without seeing the landing sight atop the rocky gorge, Din could hear the movement of cargo being shifted to the freighter and the chatter of camp guards.

He paused, and Ankau plus the warrior commander paused beside him. Within an instant the presence of those behind him vanished as the Rishii sank into the shadows of the forest. As if not even being there in the first place, the Rishii became the jungle around them, blending into ferns, rocks, thickets, and branches. Din paused, feeling the silent readiness of those around him. Then, with a rapid series of hand signals, the group began to shift again.

Dividing into three smaller groups, the warriors slowly began to surround the encampment. Din himself made his way around to the back of the camp, tucking himself against rocky outcrops and dense foliage to hide his figure. Alone now, he circled around to the soft slope on which the freighter was set down. There, in the dark shadows of the nighttime forest, he waited.

In the breath between what happened next Din settled himself, dropping back into his years of training. The weight of his armor on his shoulders, the grip of a knife and blaster in hand, the warm breath inside his helmet coalesced into a single battle-driven focus. Muscles coiled like a predator in wait, Din peeked his head above the rise to watch for the signal.

Like a missile aimed at the sky, a single torch lit arrow whistled into the treetops. Within moments warriors emerged from the shadows of the camp with a series of rallying, shriek like cries. Like phantoms given life, the Rishii appeared almost out of thin air, shedding the forest like a second skin, and launching themselves at the camp guards.

Din watched as the camp quickly dissolved into chaos. The poachers scrambled for their blasters and weapons, panicked shouts overridden by battle screams. The flames from the fire pit spilled outwards from a misstep, and soon the camp was lit not only by the patchy moonlight from above, but by the orange haze of the growing sparks.

It was at this moment that Din stepped forward from his hiding spot, using his whipcord gauntlet to snag the closest guard, dragging him forward before he could react. The guard screamed in surprise, scrambling for purchase against the lush forest floor as he was dragged into the jungle shadows. Din never gave him the chance, firing a single unblinking blaster shot at the man's chest.

He didn't wait for the guard to still, pressing onward into the fray. The camp was utter pandemonium now, filled with flying arrows, the whistles of blaster fire, and hastily barked orders from both sides. Din watched as one guard fired upon a village warrior, only to have another swoop down from above and carry him off into the trees.

Shoving, kicking, and slicing his way through, Din was able to punch a hole towards the ship. Not even two steps inside he was greeted by a row of cages along one side of the cargo area. There stood a camp guard, blaster leveled at Din's chest plate. Behind him Din could see the wide, scared eyes of several children from behind cage bars.

Fury quickly giving rise to bloodlust, Din didn't even flinch at the blaster bolt that impacted his beskar. With one hand he knocked the muzzle to the side, and with the other he brought his vibroblade up into the man's ribcage. Heart racing, Din waited for the moment when the guard stopped struggling to pull his dagger back.

Quickly, he spun towards the children, only to watch as they shrank in fear. Realizing how much of a threat they likely saw him as, Din stashed his blade and held out his hands placatingly.

"I'm a friend." He spoke, voice rough through the vocalizer. When the trio of wide-eyed children didn't relax, he repeated the word, one hand pressed to his armor. "Friend."

There wasn't any more time to waste. Din gave the cage lock a quick once over, and realizing he couldn't unlock it quickly, withdrew his blaster. This caused one of the two boys to scream, hiding himself behind the tallest child. Din leveled his aim at the cage lock, but not before a single pair of footsteps behind him alerted him.

Din spun just in time to avoid a swipe of an electro staff from an incredibly angry Weequay. The blade connected with the cage bars with a shower of sparks. Din side-stepped the next lunge as well, ducking under and bringing his fist up to catch the alien's jaw. This caused his attacker to momentarily fall off balance, giving Din the time he needed to kick him backwards towards the hallway leading to the cockpit. The alien stumbled backwards, losing the grip on the electro staff in the process. However, he was able to catch himself on the archway and lean into his fall, bringing a leg up to kick Din squarely in the chest.

The impact forced Din's breath from his lungs and made him stumble back a pace. This gave the Weequay the opening he needed to run low at Din, tackling him square in his center of gravity and forcing him to tumble down the ramp of the ship with the Weequay in tow.

Despite this, Din was able to retain his grip on his blaster. When he landed he was on his feet in an instant. Within a heartbeat Din planted a heavy boot on the back of the Weequay, using the butt of his blaster to strike the back of the alien's head and render him incapacitated. From there he raced back up into the freighter, surprised to find the ship hum under his feet. They were trying to take off with whatever children were already aboard.

He bypassed the cage with the children, racing instead in the direction of the cockpit. As he suspected, the ship's engines began to sing as he clambered up a ladder to the second level. There he was met with a broad Zabrak, who hunched with his fists up. Din paused, looking past him at the cockpit door that the alien was guarding. Then, sighing in impatience, he fired at the poacher. The alien reeled backwards, giving Din the chance he needed to knock him off the walkway and into the engine compartment below.

He fired twice at the panel for the cockpit door, watching as the door slid open halfway and then jammed. Muttering a curse, Din braced himself and began to drag the door open bit by bit, listening to the panicked shouts inside. Once the door was halfway a volley of blaster shots poured from the crack, singeing his fingers. The ship rumbled to life under Din's feet, and with renewed urgency Din poured his strength into the door. Finally, with a groan, it gave way.

Using his flamethrower to mask his approach, Din was able to quickly dispose of the two pilots inside. Then, bending over the flight controls, he raced to power down the ship before it began its launch sequence. The ship’s revving engines cut off with a whine, and with a strong twist and pull, Din freed the ignition lever to prevent it from starting once more. From the cockpit window he had a view of the clearing, where the tide had turned in favor of the Rishii forces.

No time to waste now, Din doubled back to the cargo storage. Practically launching himself down the ladder, Din raced back towards the cargo hold. One of the children in the cage had begun to cry. Again, Din leveled his blaster at the lock. The children's alarmed scream was muffled by the bang of the plasma connecting to the electronic panel, forcing the cage to spring open.

The three inside were terrified, so Din moved slowly, carefully so as to not alarm them.

"It's okay." He spoke softly, reassuringly whilst beckoning them forward. "You're safe."

The tallest and presumably eldest of the three gingerly stepped forward, still holding onto the hand of the boy beside him. Din again gestured towards himself, trying to convince the three that it was safe to leave. It took a moment, but soon the two boys found themselves in the cargo hold. The little girl, however, cowered towards the back, hiccupping hysterically. Din reached in to try and guide her out, but with a frightened scream her talon's ripped through his glove, not scratching him but tearing open his glove nonetheless.

Din cursed in surprise and tried to contain his impatience. As much as he wanted to drag her out and shoo the three in the direction of the tree line, anything more would probably traumatize the poor thing. Before he could do anything else, the older boy stepped back towards the cage, speaking in a low voice and offering a hand to the girl. Din couldn't understand his native tongue, but the words seemed to sooth the child and after a moment of hesitation, she reached out and allowed herself to be guided from the cage.

Now with all three free, Din quickly stepped in front of them, blaster drawn. The fighting had drawn itself to the edge of camp, leaving the space around the ramp mostly clear. Still, being cautious, Din did a sweep of the area before gesturing the children down and pointing forcefully at the jungle. Thankfully, they managed to get the message and darted quickly into the foliage. Before vanishing completely, the eldest boy turned back and called out in Basic: "Thank you!"

No sooner had Din turned back to the fray that he saw a shape move at the edge of the fire-lit clearing. As the Rishii warriors quickly turned the tide, children springing from cages and running for the shadowy darkness of the jungle, a lone figure struggled towards the tree line. In his arms was a single child, oddly pink feathering lit in a rosy hue by the orange light of the growing blaze. She wiggled against the man, crying out desperately in a squawk of fear.

Din was making his way towards them before he could fully process the scene. Blaster drawn and aimed, he didn't hesitate to shoot down anyone in his path. A single-minded fury lit inside him, skin crawling with rage at the sight of someone trying to harm one of the children he had agreed to find and protect. The red-orange light of the fire flickered ominously off his armor, shapes dancing menacingly at his periphery as he stalked forward with a single intent.

The little girl's gaze turned towards him, eye widening in fear and hope as Din knocked aside one bloodied combatant with his pauldroned shoulder. She cried out something in her native language, akin to a cry for aid. The man who held her merely pressed the muzzle of his blaster harder against her scalp, uttering a curse. Another Weequay, Din could see as he drew closer. Now standing at the edge of the camp, teetering on the edge of the jungle, Din watched as the poacher realized he was being followed. Gritting his teeth, the alien raised a blaster and fired at Din. The beskar armor didn't even scratch as Din approached, feeling his blood roil at the true terror on the child's face.

Another shot, this one going wild as the poacher panicked. It caught Din on the upper arm, and he cursed as he felt the plasma burn a hole along the edge of his bicep, just grazing him. He briefly clutched his arm, and then turned his gaze once more on the retreating pirate. Tempering down his rising anger, Din tried to keep calm as he leveled his blaster. The pirate merely hoisted the girl in front of him, covering his torso and neck. The child whimpered, arms trying to cover her face. Din's aim was true, however, and soon a shot rang out, causing the Weequay to drop his weapon as plasma scorched a hole in his hand.

With his grip loosened, the child wiggled free, running towards the Mandalorian, and cowering behind him. Din was momentarily distracted by her escape, leaving enough time for the man to retrieve his knife and rush him. Shocked at the man's speed despite being injured, it was all Din could do to push the child out of the way behind him before the blade caught him across his exposed hand. He grunted, both at the sudden bloom of pain and surprise at being caught off guard.

However, his opponent's next jab was sloppy, overextending past himself. Din was able to grab his arm with a sidestep, twisting out of the way and disrupting the man's balance at the same time. With a pull the man stumbled, giving Din a chance to kick out one of his legs and force him to a kneel. Twisting his wrist with a deft snap, the man cried in pain and dropped the blade in his grip as his arm cracked under Din's grasp. He tried to push Din away with his free arm, but the Mandalorian was steadfast. Instead Din leaned his weight onto the man, descending with a knee between his shoulders as he fell onto his front.

Blaster still in hand, Din pointed the muzzle directly at the back of the man's head. However, his gaze caught sight of the girl, hiding but still nearby as she trembled behind a fern. Din pursed his lips and instead brought down the butt of his weapon across the crown of the man's head, feeling him go limp with unconsciousness.

Chest still heaving, Din kept his knee across the man's spine until he was sure his opponent was unconscious. Still, the man's form didn't fade, and Din became certain that this was not the Clawdite hunter he had previously encountered. He holstered his weapon, taking a moment to inspect his injured hand. It was a shallow cut, the blade just barely managing to slice past his flesh. A thin red line oozed from the cut, the color dark in the dimness beyond the camp.

A rustle alerted him, and again Din drew his weapon. However, his target merely ducked behind the fern again with a small, frightened whimper. Din felt himself relax somewhat, muscles still coiled in case of an attack from the darkness. Up the hill on the bluff, the battle seemed to be lessening, the previous chaos quieting as the Rishii warriors hunted down the remaining poachers in camp. Din rose, releasing his hold on the poacher below him. He grasped the alien by the back of his jacket, beginning to haul him up to where his comrades had likely been captured.

"Wait!" A small voice called out, and Din turned to the girl obscured by the shadowy foliage. She pointed with a trembling hand to the injury on his hand.

She rattled something off in Rishii, and when Din failed to understand she pointed to the blaster wound on his arm. "Hurt?" She asked, stumbling over the foreign word.

Din glanced down to the wound, still oozing blood. "Fine." He told her, face turning back up to her small frightened gaze. He pointed at her in turn, echoing her question. She shook her head, and instead slowly stepped from behind her hiding spot. Din remained still as she approached hesitantly, steps stuttering as she neared. Din felt himself ease, trying not to appear intimidating to the traumatized child.

She pointed to the poacher, his jacket still grasped in Din's hand. She uttered a word Din didn't understand, and unable to summon the translation in Basic, she made a choked motion with her talons. Din shook his head to indicate that the man was not in fact dead, and she relaxed. Instead she hesitantly reached out, touching Din's injured hand with a crestfallen expression. Before Din could stop her, she turned her face up to him. She spoke again, and Din shook his head to indicate he didn't understand. She paused for a moment, and with stuttering, baby-ish syllables, she spoke.

"T-thank..y-you." Din nodded once in reply, but the girl didn't budge. He jerked his head to the forest, and after a moment the girl understood his meaning, scampering back towards the shadows and hiding until the coast was clear. Din gave her a final glance and began ascending the slope once more, hauling the poacher behind him.

Upon reaching the top, Din was greeted with a scene of victory. The Rishii warriors had triumphed, crowing in success. The fire had been contained as well, though some embers still licked at the beaten down grass of the clearing. Near the fire pit a small cluster of poachers turned captives sat or lay prone. Two warriors worked to bind those not already bound. Near them sat Ankau, his warrior paint smudged from the struggle. Beside him sat an older warrior, one of the hunters Din had originally encountered. His paint too, was smudged but still present. Ankau winced as a bloodied wing was tended to by the warrior beside him, then turned his face to his approaching ally.

"Mandalorian!" He exclaimed, rising and puffing his chest with pride. "We have won!"

Din nodded, dumping his captive's form near the small group of prisoners. He traced an eye over them, but none seemed to be uninjured enough to be a Clawdite in disguise. Even beaten, a shapeshifter would be unable to maintain their form.

"Have you found the changeling?" Din asked, turning back to the young warrior. Ankau shook his head.

"No, I fear they may have escaped.” He replied, the victory fading from his expression. “They are not among us, at any rate. All the warriors still have their paint, and they don't seem to be among the prisoners. Perhaps they touched one of our warriors and instead took flight?"

Din frowned, feeling a persistent uneasiness nag at him. He wouldn't put it past the other hunter, but even then someone had to have seen them transform, shifting soon after touching one of the Rishii fighters. It could be that they were still hiding somewhere within the camp, waiting to ambush someone and shift again to escape.

"Have the camp searched." Din nodded at Ankau. "We're not leaving until we find them."

Ankau nodded, turning and speaking to the warriors present. A small conversation ensued, and Din again turned to his thoughts. Maybe the hunter had shifted into one of the other poachers, slinking away from the camp to hide in the trees until light, and then try to salvage their ship. If that were the case a group would need to remain behind to try-

"Ankau!" A small voice cried from the tree-line, and soon a small downy shape bolted into the firelight, racing towards the older Rishii. Din stepped in front of the avian just in time, blaster drawn in readiness just in case the Clawdite made an attempt at his ally.

"Wait!" Ankau called from behind him, pushing Din out of the way to kneel and receive the child with open arms. The little girl fell into his hold, sobbing with joy and relief. With Ankau's wide wingspan dwarfing the child, Din was unable to catch a glimpse of her. Din approached once more, his bloodied hand coming to try and wrench Ankau away from the possible imposter. Instead the warrior turned his head, speaking up to the Mandalorian.

"Please, wait." He interjected, owl eyes wide. "This child is my sister. She knows my name." He lowered his head once more to the form of the cowering girl, and within Ankau's arms Din could see her hiccup and sob. Ankau murmured soothing words to her, and after several moments, held her at arm's length. As he did Din could see the pink feathering from earlier, made ruddy by dirt and grime from a cage.

The girl locked eyes on Din's towering form, backlit by the fire, and whimpered in fear. Ankau shushed her, speaking in his native tongue, and repeating the words in Basic. "No fear, he's a friend. It's okay." The girl relaxed, shoulders easing at the words.

"Thank you." She spoke, and Din blinked at her sudden fluency. "For saving us."

As Din reeled with surprise, she turned again to her brother. "They were going to sell us." She murmured, voice trembling. "As pets, they said. The older ones, they tried to fight, but they were hurt. The bad men said they would be slaves instead." She shuddered once, tucking herself further into Ankau's bronze wings. Another sob wracked her tiny shoulders, and her talons gripped tightly into his shoulders. "I was so scared. I thought I'd never see you again."

Mind finally catching up to his initial shock, Din spoke. "You couldn't speak before." He muttered, confused.

"Before?" Ankau echoed, gaze lifting to the Mandalorian beside him and then back to his sister. "Brysa, have you met this man?"

The girl, Brysa, looked up at Din with wide eyes and shook her head. Din squinted, trying to reconcile the trembling girl held captive in the forest with the wide-eyed child in front of him. Yet there was something about the child’s eyes from before, a strange glint that he hadn’t noticed until he stared into the face of the little girl in front of him.

Wait.

_No..._

Panic rising in his chest, Din turned abruptly from the two. He broke into a sprint, feet carrying him directly towards the tree line and the way back to the village. Ankau called after him with concern, but Din felt his stomach heave with a poisonous mix of realization and dread.

The child in the forest. The Clawdite.

She had _touched_ him.

\- o - o - o - o - o -

In the darkness of the ship, you waited anxiously. As much as you wanted to, you couldn't sleep. You lay in Mando's bunk, a bit self-conscious at being there, but with the child tucked into your side you didn't mind as much. He had woken at one point after Mando's departure, fussing as he noticed the combination of your anxiety and Mando's prolonged absence. It took you some time to calm and rock him back to sleep, and even now he rested fitfully, shifting as you curled around him. Tucked against your abdomen, you petted him softly, your other arm pillowing your head against the stiff mattress.

They should be headed back by now, right? You hadn't heard any gunfire or explosions, but then again they were so deep in the jungle perhaps you wouldn’t be able to discern such sounds. Cooped up in the Razorcrest, unable to tell the light outside, you were unsure how much time had passed. Time stretched differently inside the dimness of the cargo hold. The air was stale, recycled. The lights didn't brighten or dim according to the planet's rotation below you. It could have been minutes since he left, maybe only an hour. You had no clue.

You had tried to occupy yourself with fixing a datapad you had found in the hold, the screen cracked and displaying poorly. You needed to keep your hands busy, keep your mind occupied. Even then, however, you found yourself frustrated that you didn't have the means to completely repair it. Eventually you gave up, trying to rest beside the sleeping toddler on Mando's bunk.

Everything would be fine. That’s what you had told him. It had to be. Yet an unsettled anxiety roiled in your stomach. You didn't know which you were more afraid of, the idea of Mando getting killed or too injured to come back, or the idea that such an event would warrant your sole custody of the mysterious child tucked into your side. It was one thing to watch him while Mando was present, having to worry less about any potential danger while he stood nearby. With Mando gone, and imperial bounties on you both, you couldn't imagine trying to fulfill your promise to protect the child by yourself.

You didn't regret your decision to stay, the choice making your shoulders light with relief. However, it meant that your responsibility to the child, to Mando, was now set in stone. You had made a promise you couldn't break, even if you had no idea how to fulfill it if the time came.

Which is why he _had_ to come back.

Thoughts still churning, you felt a soft sigh escape you. There was nothing you could do now except wait, even if it was hard. The morning would dawn with news of the attack and its outcome, and you needed to rest and be ready for it.

No sooner had your eyes fluttered closed, thoughts dipping off into slumber, did a sound wake you.

A loud bang at the side door of the cargo hold, followed by a muffled voice.

You were on your feet in an instant, one hand still hovering above the child behind you. You paused for a moment, unsure if you had heard correctly, when the noise repeated itself. The child stirred, but you shushed him and tucked a blanket further around his small body before padding over to the door. The blaster in your back pocket felt heavy, and you reached one trembling hand to it in reassurance.

"Mando?" You asked hesitantly, raising your voice just enough to be heard through the bulkhead.

You were afraid that the voice wouldn't be his, would be some other visitor disguised as a friend. He had told you not to open the ship for anyone but him. Even if it was Ankau or his grandfather, you wouldn't open the door. Still, the thought of having to endure constant banging on the hull as you sheltered the child from the imposter made you shiver.

"It's me." The voice replied, and you nearly felt your legs pool under you in relief. "Are you safe?"

You nodded, realizing he couldn’t see you, and shouted an affirmation in response. "We're fine!" You called back. "Both me and the kid, we're fine." You swallowed thickly, anxiety gnawing at you. "Are you okay? Are the children safe?"

Mando grunted, and you blinked at the sudden sound of pain. "The kids are fine." He replied in his typical gruff tone. "I'm...fine."

You frowned. "You don't sound fine." You replied. "What happened?"

There was a pause, and for a brief terrifying moment you were afraid Mando had collapsed on the other side of the door. "I was shot." He replied at last, sounding almost ashamed.

Panic swept through you, and suddenly you were turning to the door panel. "Wait, I'll let you in so I can see. How bad is it?"

As you punched in the code to disable ground security protocols, Mando grunted again. "Bad." He replied.

You felt your stomach drop at the sound, urging your trembling fingers to punch in the code. Soon the door hissed and began to slide open.

No sooner had the pink haze of dawn begun to peek through the crack of the door that you stopped. Your entire body rose in a readiness you couldn't comprehend, senses buzzing in warning. Eyes wide, muscles coiled, you had only a split second to react as the door revealed your companion.

 _"Wait."_ You thought, mind catching up to your sudden awareness. An undeniable horror rose from your stomach to your throat. _"No..."_

Mando’s black visor glinted in the early rays of dawn, form taller than you despite being lower on the ramp. The beskar had an off sheen to it, almost artificial. His shoulders were hunched in pain, one hand tucked to his side onto a wound you couldn’t see.

"Thanks for that." Mando spoke in a voice that wasn't his own. As the door slid open the hand grasping at his waist produced a vibroblade which hummed as it activated under his touch.

You reacted purely on instinct, hurling yourself at the Clawdite before he could fully withdraw his weapon. The force of your tackle sent the both of you tumbling down the ramp. The metal scraped roughly against your shoulder as you practically somersaulted down the surface. You landed on soft grass, righting yourself in the same second the hunter did.

Unfiltered fear pulsed through you, each heartbeat pumping ice freezing water through your veins. Goosebumps raised along your flesh, every hair on your body standing on end as you struggled to catch your breath. All the while you stared down the imposter in front of you, eyes impossibly wide and pupils dilated. It was Mando, but no, it wasn’t Mando. Yet all you saw was the broad figure of your companion crouched low, gaze locked onto you with intent as he brandished the dagger.

You were such a fool, you thought to yourself helplessly. You had done the one thing Mando told you not to. You had been so overcome by relief that you had ignored that small tickle of warning in the back of your mind. Now you stood between a ruthless, hostile hunter and the innocent child still tucked away in Mando's bunk.

The Clawdite did appear to look exactly like Mando. From the beskar helmet to the tattered hem of his cape, every detail was exactly as you had last seen it. You didn't know how the Clawdite was able to accomplish such a feat, having thought that the species could only imitate body forms, not clothing.

You blinked, remembering how your body had connected with the hunter. Instead of hitting beskar, your form had bounced off a smoother surface, likely plastoid or some other armoring. Your arms had passed through the appearance of armor like air.

"So, you aren't as useless as you look." The hunter laughed mockingly, and your stomach coiled in horror at the hunter again using Mando's own voice against you. His deep, vocalized tenor speaking such words made your shoulders hunch automatically. "I was wondering if I'd get bored trying to take you in.”

It wasn't him. It wasn't him. You tried to repeat the thought as you planted yourself in between the hunter and the ramp, one hand reaching behind you to grasp the blaster in your back pocket. Mando wouldn’t speak to you that way. His firm and at points awkward wording would never reek with such hostility. Even if he had deemed you a threat, his words wouldn’t mock you so cruelly.

It wasn’t him.

Yet Mando's tall, broad form stood across from you, helmeted gaze peering down at you. For a split second you were reminded of the terrifying image of the Mandalorian staring down at you as you tried desperately to hide from him in the cargo hold all that time ago. His dark, warning voice echoing down at your horrified face.

"You're not Mando." You said aloud, trying to remind yourself. Your voice shook, desperately trying to distance the image of your hunter from the imposter in front of you. Mando wouldn’t do this, wouldn’t attack you. Yet the image of his larger frame facing you with sinister intent made your veins run cold.

The hunter barked a laugh, and the sound coming from Mando’s own voice jarred you. “I knew from the moment I saw you and your little friend there that I had seen you before.” He spoke, and your shoulders heaved with exertion. “It wasn’t until I was back at my ship that I realized you both were on the bounty boards. I figured if things went south over there I’d come back and pay you two a visit.” His gaze turned to you once more, narrowing in on your figure. “Maybe you’d both be kind enough to take a little trip with me.”

That alone made you blink in surprise. Was that what he was after? Your bounty? You didn’t know the details, but you knew that the remnants of the Empire wanted both you and the child alive. That didn’t stop the hunter from killing you on accident, but you knew if he avoided trying to do so it meant you stood a greater chance of protecting yourself and the child behind you on the Razorcrest.

As if confirming you suspicions, the hunter huffed a laugh. “That’s right, darlin’. As easy as it is to take you in cold, I hear the Imps prefer you don’t arrive in a body bag.”

No sooner had you begun to ponder his words that he took a single step forward. In an instant you had your blaster trained on him, grip still shaking with fear. You had killed someone before, you reminded yourself. This was no different. You weren’t shooting at Mando, you were protecting yourself, protecting the child from an invader.

It wasn’t him.

The hunter, still appearing and talking as if he was Mando, raised his hands placatingly. The gesture was almost familiar to your hunter's movements, and for a heartbeat you paused, almost wishing that the person in front of you was the hunter who had sheltered and protected you.

Within that instant the Clawdite ducked forward, and you fired reflexively. You missed and stumbled back to try and get the hunter in your sights once more. Before you could, the hunter jerked up a hand and pushed the barrel of your blaster up to the sky. Again, you fired futilely, watching in slow motion horror as the Clawdite twisted the blade in their hand and arched it towards your waist.

Images of your scarlet blood soaking into the grassy green earth while the hunter dragged both you and the child into the jungle filled your thoughts in a blinding vision. The child's imagined scream in your head overlapped with the desperate shriek from your dream.

Gritting your teeth, you bent backwards, feeling the blade slice a shallow cut across your abdomen. As the hunter followed through you didn’t try again to fire, instead bringing the butt of your blaster viciously down against their skull. Pain blossomed across your lower half, but you blocked it out, using your free hand to sloppily push away the hunter and retreat halfway up the ramp.

He laughed, and the sound sent your blood curdling in your veins. One hand briefly went up to cradle his forehead, and then he returned his gaze to you once more. He was close, you realized. Way too close. Not even three strides away from you. At this range you could see the glisten of blood on his blade. Your blood. The visual reminder sent your stomach clenching in pain, and you grunted as you tried to temper down the hurt that radiated from the wound. A wet warmth pooled against your skin, not deep enough to incapacitate you but enough to slow your distracted focus.

Again, you trained your blaster on the Clawdite. You were less interested in shooting him than deterring him. Now halfway up the ramp, if you could get up into the ship and get the door closed, then you'd be able to shelter until Mando and the other warriors arrived. Taking a single hesitant step backwards, you kept your eyes trained on the hunter. He regarded you almost nonchalantly, lifting his bloodied blade to inspect the small drip of scarlet there.

The hunter hummed in thought. "You aren't what I was expecting." He commented smoothly. "The bounty for you stated that you were a highly trained fighter, and yet here you are trembling like a newborn fawn."

Then, you saw his body tense and bend ever so slightly forward. You realized it was a feint too late, finger pressing down on the trigger of the blaster. Unable to completely dodge the shot this time, you listened to the small sound of it slicing against armor and flesh. The hunter launched himself at you, hand reaching out to grasp at your leg. You were able to avoid him, turning and scrambling up the ramp to the door.

You were able to get one hand inside, fingers pressing sloppily down on the panel to close the door as you tried to sidle inside. Before you could, that grip again sought your ankle, grasping onto it like a vice.

You yelled in surprise as you were dragged backwards. Losing your balance, your back hit the ramp with a jolt. Twisting your head, you watched as the door slid shut, protecting the child inside but locking you out of the Razorcrest. A toxic, conflicting mix of relief and unfettered panic rose in you. The child was safe, and you had fulfilled your promise to Mando. That didn’t mean you were safe.

You had no doubt that the hunter would settle for just you. Your breath seized in your throat at the brief, horrifying image of an Imperial cell waiting for you, the menacing silhouette of stormtroopers holding you down as you tried to get away. Even as you tried to kick and loose the Clawdite's hold on you your brain conjured scenarios of interrogation and torture at the hands of Imperial agents. Yet the Clawdite’s hold was unbreakable no matter how you tried to wiggle free.

A horrible memory surfaced in your mind, of the Trandoshan hunter trying to drag you back through the hole to the shipyards on Kaddak, yellow eyes glinting with rage.

 **"NO!"** You screamed, struggling with renewed force. The blood in your veins boiled with terror and the undeniable urge to run, fight, struggle, _get away_. The air around you hummed, senses blurring out any distractions beyond the need to flee, to _escape_.

That word alone sent a wave of fire coursing through your body. _escape_ , your mind screamed, blotting out any other sound. You could feel your heart stutter, eyes widening and breath catching in your chest. That scorching inferno of your dreams, that haunting nightmare, consumed you for the briefest of moments.

With a roar that deafened even your own ears you struck out with a kick, hitting the Clawdite square in the stomach. You could feel something crack inside of him against the contact of your unprecedented force. Even then, you didn't slow. You were on your feet in a heartbeat, striking him again and sending his disguised form tumbling down the ramp.

He landed at the bottom, righting himself quickly but with a hand pressing down on the place where you had struck him. You drew your weapon, leveling it at Mando’s form. Before you could fire he flicked the vibro-blade in his grip and with a twist of his wrist, sent it flying at you. Instinctively you tried to shield yourself, arms coming up to block your neck and face.

The blade tore past your forearm, and you screamed at the blinding white pain. The hand holding your blaster loosened, and suddenly another grasp descending on your own. You struggled to keep the grip on the weapon even as the Clawdite struggled to loosen it from your grip. Blood streamed from your forearm to your hand, and you felt the warm wetness slick your fingers and your hold on the blaster.

Instead you tried hitting the hunter with your other hand, only to have your wrist seized in a bruising grip. Mando's T-shaped visor stared down at you, his voice grunting with exertion as he struggled to exert control over you. The sight almost made you weak, heart clenching painfully.

Instead you planted one foot, bringing the opposite knee up in between the man's legs. A wheeze escaped him, and for a moment you let your guard down. Yet again he fumbled for your weapon, and his sloppy, pained reach combined with the slickness of the blood from your wound made the blaster escape both of you, falling and bouncing off the ramp somewhere under the ship.

Both of you unarmed now, the Clawdite hunter poured his concentration in pinning you up against the hull of the ship. You grunted, the impact of the metal exterior against your back making you gasp in surprise. You set your jaw, struggling uselessly against the hunter's superior strength.

Mando’s dark visored gaze bore down on you from the other end of the arm. You felt your legs nearly give in a mixture of fear and dismay. You had always harbored a respectful fear of Mando’s abilities since your first encounter, and now that it was his form that held you pinned against the ship, you felt a lump of cold, unabating horror rise in your throat. You wanted to scream, desperately frightened at the man holding you but wishing nothing more than for Mando himself to appear and come to your aid.

The hunter heaved above you, and for a moment you were impressed you had managed to wind him despite the difference in your skill levels. Even so, with a fist pressed against your chest, and one of your wrists still held in a nearly bone-cracking grasp, you found yourself rapidly running out of options.

You did the only thing you could think of, tucking your head and biting down on the spot where Mando' armor was weak on the inside of his elbow. Instead of meeting thick padding, your mouth fell upon bare skin. Closing your teeth around the flesh, your ears rang with the hunter's howl. You shot out your bloodied hand, you shoved his face and felt his head bend at an awkward angle. The motion freed you enough to step forward and shove a shoulder into his form. With your height differences on the ramp the Clawdite stumbled backwards, disoriented, and losing his balance.

Just when you thought you had fended him off, he closed his hand tighter around your wrist and together you two fell the meter and a half off the ramp onto the soft grass of the clearing.

You were able to scoot under the ramp before he could grab you again, and thanked whatever deities lay in the heavens when your hand bumped your blaster. You shot to your feet, winded and terrified at the hunter's relentless attacks. He stood on the other side of the ramp, the metal surface now between you both. His shoulders heaved as he too, tried to catch his breath.

A long moment stretched between you both, during which your mind again tried to separate the enemy in front of you from the man who had spoken so quietly, almost shyly, just hours before. Yet instead of Mando’s soft voice, the one he only used around you, you were greeted by his rough tone and a mocking laugh.

"The thing about us Clawdites is-" and the hunter paused with a breathless chuckle. "All it takes is a single touch to transform into someone entirely different."

You blinked, confused at his sudden conversational attitude and wordy deflection. In your hesitation you held the blaster down and away from you, overwhelmed by the pain of your injuries and rapidly fluttering heartbeat.

He exhaled loudly, the sound bouncing off the metal of the ramp oddly. "It was a good thing I managed to scan the Mandalorian's armor before I escaped. I don't think I would have made it this far without that."

A hologram, you realized with a start. He had imitated Mando's body, but couldn't copy his armor, so he let technology do the rest. Which meant-

A horror so deep that it ran dark and vile across the depths of your soul rose in your thoughts. As if seeing the dawning terror on your face, the Clawdite towered to Mando's full height. Your smaller form was dwarfed by his size, the pink morning sun casting a long shadow over your figure.

"They say Mandalorians never take off their helmets." He continued, and you wanted to scream at the dread that rippled across your skin as you realized. "They say that once you see a Mandalorian's face, they can never put it back on."

Your heart beat wildly in your chest, eyes impossibly wide at the hunter's words. Mando's voice from that night at the inn surfaced in your chaotically churning thoughts unprompted.

_"No one can ever see my face."_

You couldn't think, couldn't breathe as the hunter before you pressed a button somewhere on their gauntlet, and their figure began to waver with a static like effect. The holograph began to retract, shimmering in color then in blue as it de-pixelated.

You couldn’t look, you realized. You had to close your eyes. If you saw, Mando would never forgive you. Your promise to stay would be cast null and void at the least. Gods knew what would happen if you found out. Yet that meant you’d be fighting without your vision. You’d be blind against a stronger, faster, more experienced opponent. You couldn’t close your eyes. You had to fight, to protect the child, to escape.

"I wonder what he would do, if you saw his face." The Clawdite laughed shrilly, and you couldn't dull the ringing in your ears. Slowly, Mando's form was made clear to you. Your eyes watched his helmet in horror.

 _”No.”_ You pleaded silently, wretchedly torn with indecision. _”Please-“_

The moment before you shut your eyes, blocking out all light and vision, the hunter's sinister voice beckoned to you.

"Would you like to see?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~Sorry not sorry for the cliffhanger~~
> 
> Congrats if you all saw this coming, lol. However, I don't think anyone saw that last twist coming. This is what this entire arc has been leading to. The choice is between losing but keeping Mando's trust, and surviving but facing the risk of never seeing him again. What'll it be, hmm?
> 
> I'm sorry this chapter took so long! As you can see it's...a doozy lol. It's roughly 8k, and took nearly a week from start to finish to complete even a rough draft. I wanted to get it to you guys as soon as possible so I'm sorry if its a little rough. 
> 
> Anyways, I'm going to try and aim for an update on Sunday the 21st. I'll try not to keep you guys hanging for too long. See you then!
> 
> EDIT:
> 
> I JUST REALIZED 
> 
> This fic has nearly 10k hit and is currently on the second page of Din Djarin/Reader when ranked by Kudos.  
> HOLY SHIT. I cannot thank you all enough for your support and feedback. Every single comment means so much to me and I love love LOVE seeing you all enjoy this as much as I do writing it. Geez, holy moly, good gosh, WOW. THANK YOU! <3
> 
> EDIT 2-18
> 
> So I ended up making some edits to this chapter to clarify a few things. The Clawdite is not trying to kill Reader, he is trying to capture both Reader and Grogu and hand them over to the Imps. I ended up going back and making that clearer in the second half. I recommend you go back and read to get the full gist. :)
> 
> \----
> 
> If you enjoy my work, please consider making a donation to my Ko-fi at ([Sprout Fics!](https://ko-fi.com/sproutfics))  
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	15. Part Fifteen: To See

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Time's wasting, Mando." The Clawdite hissed, brown eyes blazing. "I'm getting impatient."
> 
> Yet Din couldn't answer him. He couldn't decide. 
> 
> It was at this moment that he finally caught your gaze. He blinked, surprised to find you had opened your eyes. With the hunter behind you there wasn't a chance of you accidentally seeing Din's face, and now you gazed at him openly with wide, terrified eyes. Then, your lips parted in a silent message, your voice rippling silently in the space between you both.
> 
> _"Trust me."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you read the previous chapter before I made edits, I suggest you go back and re-read the second half to get the full grasp of the situation before continuing onwards. 
> 
> TW ahead for graphic depictions of violence/injuries

Din raced back to the Razorcrest, feet flying over gnarled roots and fallen, twisted tree trunks. Each footstep sang in harmony with his rapidly racing heartbeat. The forest around him, normally teeming with life, seemed to still the further he sprinted back towards the village. He had been running for what seemed like hours, and yet he hadn't managed to catch up to his faster opponent. He didn't bother trying to track the Clawdite through the dense underbrush. Din already knew where they were going.

Cuyan. The child.

An unfamiliar fear rose in his stomach at the thought of you and the child being harmed. The haunting image of your prone form on the ramp of the Razorcrest during your time on Hypori rose unprompted in his thoughts. Bloodied, limp, still gripping the blaster he had given you in your loose fingers. Din had seen allies fall before, fellow hunters make a deadly mistake in the midst of battle. He had hardened their deaths in his mind, not having enough time to grieve under the rain of blaster fire. Their deaths served as a memory, a warning against letting down his guard and making a single misstep during his hunts.

With you, however, it was different. Whereas Din had expected you to flee, to run and abandon the child for yourself, you hadn't. Instead not only had you protected the young one, you had still sought to come to Din's aid despite teetering on the brink of a deadly affliction. Din's oath mandated that he return the courtesy to you, but it was more than just that. He had made an oath that as long as you protected the child, he would do so the same for you. Your struggle to not only survive, but to save those you could along the way, was a rarity in a galaxy of violence. That struggle of yours ensured Din that you wouldn't abandon the child in favor of yourself, and for that you had earned his trust.

Din remembered the rage, the bloodlust at seeing someone so sick and injured fight for simple survival, and then try to come to his aid. Your weakened voice and surprisingly light weight in his arms made a shiver run up his spine. He remembered the fear, the shine of tears in the child's eyes upon seeing your collapsed figure. Din's mind provided an image of the Razorcrest's doors wide open to the Rishii village clearing, of your vanished forms, leaving behind no trace except a small smear of blood on the door. 

If such an event came to pass, it would be all his fault. That alone made the chilled grip of anxiety harden in his stomach, turning into a simmering and deadly anger. He was such a fool, to have let himself be touched. If he hadn't been so impatient trying to rescue the girl aboard the ship, if he hadn't underestimated his opponent in the jungle, if he had just kept his wits about him, then perhaps this wouldn't have happened.

You were smart. Din knew that. He had observed it more than once. Based on your story on the escape from Kaddak, his observation of you at the waystation, and the evidence of your struggle on Hypori, he knew you would try to find a way out of this. Hopefully, you wouldn't have to, having realized that the one trying to get inside the ship wasn't Din himself. 

The one thing that haunted him, whispering with a low sinister voice across his thoughts, was that the Clawdite knew his _face_.

If by any chance you _had_ opened the ship, Din knew that the Clawdite wouldn't hesitate to use every ounce of leverage in order to subdue you. The idea of someone witnessing his face inadvertently spiked a familiar fear in him. The threat of breaking his oath, of becoming _dar'manda_ was a dreaded nightmare Din had possessed from the moment he had first put on his helmet. An outcast, a traitor to the creed, one who could no longer carry the title of 'Mandalorian'.

There was only one solution. Din had to kill the Clawdite at any cost. He could only hope that he did so before the alien exposed his face to you. 

He had finally reached the familiar trails surrounding the village, foliage thinning out from generations of Rishii walking the same paths. It was still close to dawn, the purple haze of the hours between darkness and sun fading into a pink light that peeked through the jungle tree tops. The beauty of the scenery around him remained a stark contrast to the sinister scene Din sprinted towards. 

A yell, somewhere up ahead of him, made Din's eyes widen inside his helmet. Putting on a burst of speed, he ducked low hanging branches and vines to bolt in the direction of the sound. The trail under his feet became wider, tougher under his boots until, finally, he burst into the clearing where the Razorcrest was landed. 

The scene that greeted him froze his stomach.

Din skidded to a halt at the same moment that a familiar figure hoisted your bloodied form into his grip. With one arm pinning your back flush to the Clawdite's chest, the other holding _your_ blaster to the side of your temple, the hunter across from him grinned with _his_ face. 

"Thanks for joining us." The Clawdite spoke, and Din felt a raw horror boil in his gut and engulf every inch of his skin. Brown eyes, tousled brown hair, a scruffy fuzz across his jaw and lower face gazed back at him. His face. His voice. His _body_ was the one that held you captive. It was different armor, yes, but the features, the figure was all the same. 

_"Dar'manda."_ His mind supplied, voice not his own but instead the Armorer, his brethren echoing the word in a ceaseless taunt.

Yet it wasn't him. It was his face, but the owner was not himself. The reflection was all too familiar, but the victorious grin, the frenzied look in his eyes was not. An imposter, he reminded himself. An enemy.

"Mando!" Din's gaze darted to your face, relieved to find your eyes were stubbornly scrunched shut. "I-I didn't look! I didn't see!"

Din would have been relieved if he hadn't noticed the blossoming red stain on your side, your hand bloodied all the way from palm to elbow. It was clear you had put up a fight, and for a moment Din felt a sense akin to pride at how hard you had fought. Instead his gaze flew to the door of the ship, relieved to find it shut. The child was safe, which only left you held in the choking hold of the opposing hunter. 

Din went to draw his blaster, but the action only caused the Clawdite to press the barrel of your blaster further into your mussed hair. 

"Don't." The hunter barked, and Din couldn't help but flinch at his own voice used against him. "On the ground. The pulse rifle too." 

Din relented, slowly. He drew the blaster from his holster up, using only one hand. Gently, he placed it on the grass, following quickly by the pulse rifle at his back. Then, cautiously, he held his hands aloft in a placating gesture. 

"You don't need to bring her into this." He spoke, voice steady despite the situation. He could see your shoulders relax at the sound, even if it did nothing to soothe the hunter. 

Instead the Clawdite laughed, and again Din was jarred by the sound of his own voice making such an unusual sound. 

"Oh, I think I do, actually." Your captor replied easily. "I hear that the reward for her bounty has doubled since it was last posted. She and the kid will set me up for a nice, relaxing life after I've handed them over to the Imps."

That horror, that fear Din felt at having his face exposed hardened inside him, turning into a deep, unfettered anger. He didn't reply to the hunter, letting that fury boil inside him and evaporate any lingering doubt. The threat was the one thing Din had sworn never to let occur, the thing he had fought so hard against. Now the changeling before him mocked Din’s quest, grinned tauntingly at him while he held the upper hand. 

Din would kill him. 

"Open the ship." The Clawdite demanded. "I'll be taking it, along with the kid and my new companion here. Your little friend here tells me only you know the code." With that he adjusted his hold on you, and for a moment you winced and stretched to your toes to keep up with the hunter's taller form. 

"And if I don't?" Din replied, voice dipping low and sinister in warning. 

"Then I shoot her."

Din stopped, the words sending a brief spike of panic through him. Before he could speak, your voice sang across the clearing. 

"Don't listen!" You gasped, choking when the Clawdite pressed a muscled arm further into your windpipe. "He said he needed me alive!"

"Shut up!" The hunter hissed, then turning his brown eyed gaze back to Din. "The bounty didn't specify dead or alive. I'll get paid either way."

For a moment Din was grateful you still had your eyes shut. He didn't want to see the alarm there in your gaze. Still, indecision weighed on him heavily. It was a near impossible choice. Let the hunter escape with you and the child, and have you both handed over to Imperials? Or refuse and watch you die by the imposter possessing his own hands?

Din's silence stretched long, the world stilling around him as it too waited with bated breath for his answer. 

He couldn't risk the child. He couldn't watch you die. 

"Time's wasting, Mando." The Clawdite hissed, brown eyes blazing. "I'm getting impatient."

Yet Din couldn't answer him. He couldn't decide. 

It was at this moment that he finally caught your gaze. He blinked, surprised to find you had opened your eyes. With the hunter behind you there wasn't a chance of you accidentally seeing Din's face, and now you gazed at him openly with wide, terrified eyes. Then, your lips parted in a silent message, your voice rippling silently in the space between you both.

_"Trust me."_

No sooner had Din processed your words then your eyes had rolled back in your head, body going completely limp as you pretended to faint. The Clawdite was taken by surprise at the sudden heaviness of your form slumping against him, his grip slipping on you as you collapsed to the ground. The Clawdite let out a shout of uprise as he tried to follow you, trying to maintain his grip on you despite your suddenly limp figure.

Din didn't waste a moment. With your body no longer being used as a shield he surged forward, diving for his blaster, and firing on the Clawdite. The hunter ducked just in time, the blaster bolt pinging off the Razorcrest's hull beside his head and leaving behind a blackened scorch mark. Cursing, the Clawdite ducked under the ramp for cover, only to find that you had rolled under there out of his reach. Din could see you loudly panic at hearing the imposter follow you, watching as you kicked out wildly, blindly, in an attempt to chase him away. 

The distraction gave Din all the time he needed to run and pounce on the hunter, hauling him away from you and the ship. The Clawdite thrashed, trying to turn and fire on Din, but the Mandalorian held him fast. A blaster bolt buzzed somewhere past his ear, the sound ringing endlessly and briefly distorting his hearing. With a deft twist of the hunter's wrist Din was able to get the Clawdite to drop the blaster, the weapon falling softly to the grass with a dull thud. 

Din struggled to get the hunter into a chokehold, wholly intent on depriving him of any and all oxygen until his heart stopped. What he didn't expect, however, was the hunter to grab him _back_ , using his core strength to plant his feet and attempt to flip the Mandalorian in front of him. Din was stronger, but the action caught him by surprise and suddenly he was flying head over heels, impacting the ground on his back as the ground shook under him. 

He barely had a moment to think before instinctively he rolled out of the way. A knife buried itself in the dirt right where his visor had been. Now at a crouch, Din drew his vibro blade as well, staring down his own face contorted in rage. The Clawdite was too close for Din to shoot him without exposing himself. He needed to put some distance between him and his opponent. 

Din knew this fight well. His frequent, and sometimes heated spars with Paz Vizsla meant he was no stranger to vibroblade tactics. As the hunter lunged at him, drawing his blade once across his opponent's chest plate, Din realized that this was a no holds barred game. The Clawdite was coming after him with everything he had, now out of options. Like a cornered animal, Din could see the panic, the rage in his own face. 

Blocking, diverting, and dodging attacks, Din struggled to find an opening. The hunter was fast, faster than his former rival and even faster than Din himself. For a moment it was all Din could do to simply stay out of the hunter's reach. Breath echoing harshly inside his helmet, Din sought to turn the tables on the nimbler hunter. 

There, as the hunter feinted right and slashed left. With a precisely timed block of the hunter's incoming attack Din brought his blade up underneath the Clawdite's arm. The blade sliced past armor and flesh, drawing out a considerable spurt of blood. The Clawdite's eyes widened in shock and agony, and he stumbled backwards away from Din. Just as Din went to draw his weapon on the other hunter a voice rang out shrilly across the clearing. 

"Stop!"

Din wheeled to the source of the sound, surprised to find you standing off to his left with the blaster in your hands. Eyes still scrunched shut, arms trembling, you pointed it in the direction of the two opposing hunters. 

The Clawdite, for what he was worth, grasped the situation quickly. 

"Shoot him!" He gasped, clutching a hand to his nearly dripping green wound. His voice was hoarse, mimicking the vocalizer's roughness from Din's helmet. 

"Wait!" Din interjected. The second you fired would be an opening for the Clawdite that both he and you could not afford. Softer now, he spoke. "Don't."

He could see you hesitate, eyes still closed and shoulders heaving with each breath. Your aim swung wildly between the two, finger hovering above the trigger. You couldn't decide which one was the real one, Din realized. 

"To your right!" The Clawdite gasped in his voice. "Shoot him!"

Din didn't flinch, keeping his eyes locked on you. His throat was dry, even as he tried to swallow. Still, his voice was calm, measured in that tone he only spoke to you. 

"Cuyan." He spoke, tongue rolling the Mando'a in his mouth. "I trust you."

He saw the moment you understood, saw the arch of your eyebrows and lips parted in realization. 

"What are you waiting fo-" The Clawdite couldn't finish his sentence, the words cutting off with a pained grunt as a blaster bolt rang out catching him squarely in the upper left shoulder. Din fired a second shot only a heartbeat later, this one landing in the Clawdite's center of mass.

The Clawdite stumbled back one step, then two, and then crumpled to the ground beside the pulse rifle. Din watched as his own face faded, soon to be replaced with a rounded, green toned head and huge, bulging yellow eyes. The alien gave a stuttering breath, trying to take in air once, twice, and then falling still.

The clearing fell silent once more, the echo of the blaster bolt fading far into the trees. Both you and Din stood completely still, muscles coiled and body stiff as you waited for a counterattack that never came.

Din waited a few more moments to be sure that the Clawdite was well and truly dead. Smoke spiraled from the two inflicted blaster wounds, the smell of scorched skin wafting over to Din. Still, the alien did not move, did not make a sound, defeated at last.

He turned to you, with your eyes still shut. You shook, likely from a combination of pain and fading adrenaline. Carefully, Din made his way over to you, being gentle as he reached out to touch the hands holding your blaster down and away from you, just as he had taught you. You flinched at the touch, sucking in a breath as Din carefully grasped your hands holding the weapon.

"He's dead." Din spoke, trying to keep his voice quiet so as not to spook you. "It's over."

He could see the moment you understood, hear the sudden exhale of breath that made your shoulders sink. Slowly, you stopped shaking, the panic fading from your system at his words. To your credit, you didn't cry despite the hard swallow Din could see in your throat. Instead you exhaled again, and Din could hear the shake in your breath as you began to collect yourself. 

"Can...can I open my eyes now?" You asked, voice still wavering. 

Din nodded, and realizing you could not see, replied: "Yes."

You peeked your eyes open, blinking as you adjusted to the light once more. Yet instead of relief, you turned to Din with a wide, fearful gaze.

"I didn't see." You told him in a rush, voice cracking. "I didn't. The second he let down the hologram I didn't look. I promise."

Din felt his shoulders sag in relief. There wasn’t any weight of dishonesty to your words. You spoke the truth. He wouldn't have hurt you if you had inadvertently seen the Clawdite wearing his face, but even so it meant that he would have had to find a way to silence you as to what you had seen, according to his creed. Din didn't want to entertain the idea and eased knowing he wouldn't have to. He nodded to you, replying in a soft voice: "I believe you."

This was what caused your shoulders to droop, the tension easing from them almost completely. Then, you gave Din a familiar, almost shy smile of thanks. Oddly, Din felt his heart clench. 

That was, until a familiar whine of a weapon charging met his ears. 

He spun, pushing you behind him on instinct as he turned to see the Clawdite gripping Din's own pulse rifle leveled at him.

_"Dank ferrick-_ Din had enough time to think before the weapon jolted and everything went dark.

\- o - o - o - o - o -

"MANDO!" 

You had never screamed so loud all in your life, voice engulfed in complete horror as the Mandalorian pushed you out of the way of the incoming blast. You fell onto the grass, Mando's rough shove making you lose your balance. Still, you could see the moment the pulse rifle fired, a single blazing bolt hitting Mando square in the chest. 

His entire body lit up like a starship console, electricity crawling along his limbs and up to his helmet. The beskar armor made the perfect conduit for the electric bolt, bouncing the current endlessly off his form. Mando's entire body went taut, arching almost impossibly as it instinctively reacted to the electrocution. He went stiff as a board, fingers grasping at nothing. Mando didn't even make a sound as he twitched violently, body shaking uncontrollably for what seemed like minutes. The acrid smell of burnt metal and flesh filled your nose, and you nearly choked with how thick the scent was. 

Then, as quickly as it came, the current stopped. Mando's legs fell limp under him, muscles no longer taut with shock. The hunter fell first to his knees, then onto his face. Without so much as a gasp of pain he collapsed in a crumple, stray blue lines of electricity still dancing along his smoking cuirass. 

He didn't move.

The world around you stilled, as if time had been violently ripped from its continuity and frozen. You couldn't breathe. You couldn't think. Your heart felt like it had stopped in your chest. All you could see was Mando’s smoking form, muscles still twitching reflexively at the electrocution so severely inflicted onto him.

Yet somehow, your body moved of its own accord, scrambling for purchase as you rose to your knees, and then stumbled to your feet towards the Clawdite still gripping the rifle. Your steps were loose, uncoordinated as your brain tried desperately to catch up to your movements. The changeling had de-transformed, body still sprawled against the grass and oozing green blood. He was now desperately trying to adjust the rifle so its setting could be changed to vaporize, so he could finish Mando while he was still down. He was so distracted with the weapon that by the time he saw you approach it was too late.

You saw his expression only for a moment, huge yellow eyes widening even further as you towered above him. Then, almost automatically, your blaster raised and leveled itself between his terrified yellow gaze. 

You saw the moment he realized, saw the second your unblinking gaze was reflected back in his eyes. You stared down at him, shock and intent clear in your face. He raised a hand automatically to obscure his face, lips parting in a single, last second plea-

“W-wai-“

The shot that rang forth from your blaster echoed deafeningly across the still clearing, and finally the hunter lay completely still. Forever.

You stood over his corpse, shoulders heaving, breath stuttering in a vain effort to compose yourself. Even in death he stared up at you, gaze still wide and terrified at realizing that his prey had become his own hunter. You couldn’t look away, couldn’t tear yourself from his horrified expression that remained even as the smoke from the blaster shot floated up above him and into the sky. 

He was dead, you realized. Not for the first time, you had taken a life to defend yourself, to survive. The reality of it began to wash over you with an ice-cold revelation when instead you saw movement out of the corner of your eye.

Mando.

Mando, whose body was still smoking and acrid with burnt metal. You stumbled, nearly tripping over your feet in an effort to get to him. The distance between you seemed far too great, every step seeming to suck whatever lingering energy you had out of you. Collapsing to your knees beside him, you hoisted his heavy head into your lap, desperately trying to shake him awake. 

"Mando." You gasped, movements doing little to stir him. "Mando!"

Panicking, you adjusted him and bent your head to hover above his chest, listening past the beskar for the sound of a heartbeat. You closed your eyes, praying to a god you did not know for the simple drum of life inside his chest.

No sooner had the reassuring beat rang against your ear did Mando heave a gasp, coughing fitfully as he began to come to. His body jerked, muscles still reacting to the electric pulse. You did what you could to hold him down by his shoulders, face hovering over his visor in concern. 

"Mando!" You gasped, feeling the lingering tingle of electricity along your fingertips. "Mando- thanks the stars- can you hear me?"

Mando didn't answer, still coughing and trying to catch his breath. For a moment you panicked, thinking you'd have to remove his helmet for him to get some air, then he sputtered as he tried to speak.

"B-Bantha...shit! That karking **hurt.** " He coughed, and you felt an almost hysterical laugh of relief bubble up your throat. 

"Are you hurt?" He asked between heavy gasps, trying hard to even out his breathing. 

"I could ask you the same thing!" You gasped, hands still pressing down on his shoulders. "You scared the karking hell out of me!"

Mando made a choked sound, almost akin to a laugh, much to your surprise. "Feel...like shit." He wheezed, and that relief that had risen in your chest was quickly replaced by growing concern. "The Clawdite?"

When you didn't reply Mando tried to incline his head towards the changeling's corpse but let out a groan instead. That concern rising in your chest verged on fear now. Your hands could still feel the sharp sting of heat from his body, could still see the small spirals of smoke from his clothes. You didn't dare try to touch his armor, afraid that it would shock you given the chance. 

You weren't better off by a whole lot, you realized. Your bloodied hand left a red print across his shoulder, arm painted with scarlet rivulets all the way down to your elbow. Plus, your side was still a bloody mess, even if the wound had stopped oozing. 

A rustle behind you had you gripping your blaster once more, pivoting on your knees so you crouched low over Mando's prone form. Heart racing, you tried to obscure his body from whoever was making their way through the trees behind you. 

"Mandalorian?" A familiar voice called out, and soon the ferns parted to reveal a number of Rishii warriors, including Ankau himself. You instantly softened, relieved to find allies once more. 

The avian's eyes scanned the clearing, coming to rest on both of you crouched beside the ramp of the Razorcrest. Immediately his eyes widened upon realizing the situation, and taking in the cuts, bruises, and injuries between you two. 

"By the heavens..." He murmured, pushing his way out of the foliage towards the both of you. No sooner had he entered the clearing did he see the lifeless form of the Clawdite sprawled against the grass. You watched his eyes take in the fatal blaster wound, and your blaster still in your grip. In awe, his gaze met yours in a silent question. You could only nod once, solemnly, in response. 

Wordlessly, he turned his attention to the Mandalorian you were crouched over. You could hear the hunter's ragged breathing under you, hear him shift to look up at those who just entered the clearing. 

It was finally Mando that broke the long stretch of silence that followed, neither you nor Ankau having the words to explain your emotions in that moment. You felt a gloved hand gently tap your shin, and as you turned Mando lifted his head to look at you properly.

"Bacta packs." He rasped without prelude. "Inside the Razorcrest."

Shaken from your stupor, you nodded. Quickly, you holstered your weapon and wiggled a hand under Mando's larger frame to haul him upwards. Ankau rushed forwards, a winged arm also coming to support the Mandalorian under his opposite shoulder. You shot your friend a grateful glance, and he nodded softly in a wordless reply. 

"Sweep the village!" He called to the small group of warriors that accompanied him. "Make sure there are no more intruders!"

The other Rishii nodded in assent before turning and spreading out across the clearing, again blending into the dim jungle light to circle the village. 

You rose with Ankau, Mando supported between the two of you. The hunter gave a wheezing grunt as you lifted him to his feet, and your chest clenched at the sound. Together the three of you awkwardly walked up the ramp, where you then punched in the code that Mando murmured to you in a pained, breathless voice. 

No sooner had the door opened then the child came toddling from his hiding place behind a crate. He rushed towards the three of you with outstretched arms and a whining, pleading voice. You smiled at him reassuringly, and with some small discussion, sat Mando down atop the crate which the child had used as shelter. 

"I shall fetch one of the healers." Ankau announced, standing tall in the limited space of the cargo bay. 

"Don't." Mando replied simply, and before you could cast him a glance of disbelief he continued. "We have medical supplies. Let the healers attend to your own warriors."

Ankau shifted, and you could almost hear the one-sided conversation he was having with himself. 

"Once the healers are done I shall send them to look in on you both." He conceded at last.

You smiled at him gratefully, and when his figure had vanished from the ship, turned your attention to the child tugging at your pants. 

You bent down, scooping him into your arms with a relief exhale. You didn’t care that the still wet blood of your hand smeared against his clothes, simply grateful to see him safe after all that occurred. The infant reached a hand up to try and grab your hair, issuing a series of soft grunts and snorts in reply to your embrace. Holding him against your shoulder, you buried your face into the soft surface of his clothing. 

"I'm sorry little one." You murmured, and the child cooed into your ear, now happy to be comforted after the ordeal. "I promise I'll do better next time."

It was over, you reminded yourself. You were all alive, safe here now aboard Mando’s ship. The child was unharmed, and though you and Mando were both injured, you would survive. The nightmare had come to an end.

"You did good." Mando rasped, and you turned to him, taking in the slouch of his shoulders and exhausted form. "You protected the child."

You couldn't help the forlorn look that passed across your face. "I almost got him and me captured." You replied softly, voice still hoarse from the scream you had let out only a minute before. "I should have never opened that door."

Mando shrugged, and though you couldn't see his face, you could tell from the small flinch in his shoulders that the motion hurt him. "You took down the Clawdite. You killed him."

The near memory of the changeling's huge yellow eyes still gazing up at you in a never-ending stare surfaced in your thoughts, and you shuddered. Clutching the child tighter, you tried to block out the image of the corpse just outside the ship.

As is sensing your mind, Mando's voice broke your thoughts. 

"You did what you had to." He replied. "He would have killed you otherwise."

You nodded absently, instinctively rocking the toddler in your arms to soothe both him and you. The little one pushed back against you, leaning back so he could gaze into your face. As was his habit, he pressed a small, three clawed hand against your cheek. You could hear your name whispered across the space between you, spoken still in that strange baby-ish voice of his. You smiled sadly, one hand tracing his long green ears.

"This is...the second time I've had to take a life." You spoke, voice far away. "Both in self-defense, but..."

You had lost a part of you, you realized softly. Something you would never get back, an innocence which You didn’t even know you had. Despite all the things you had done to ensure your survival as a child, stealing and lying and running, this was different. To take a life was something you hoped you would never have to do. Now you stood amidst that revelation, bidding goodbye to that innocence you had lost in that split second moment on Hypori. 

"Cuyan."

You turned, the sound familiar but unexpected coming from the hunter beside you. He gazed at you, face upturned and taking in your uncertain expression. 

"I told you what that means, didn't I?" He asked, and you blinked at his sudden forwardness, a departure from his typically reserved nature. 

"Survivor." You echoed, the word light on your tongue. 

Mando nodded, and just as you had taken a life on Hypori, you felt the distance between you close once more as it had back then in the blue light of the small medical room.

"I wouldn't have survived this long without you." You spoke, thinking aloud. Instantly you wished you could take the words back, wished Mando hadn't heard you speak so openly to him. 

Mando didn't speak either, and though the silence that followed was long, it was comfortable in the unspoken place you two had met between. 

You needed him, you realized silently. And in some way, he needed you too. 

The child in your arms wiggled uncomfortably with a whine, and you adjusted him. Instead of settling, however, he twisted and stretched out to reach his small hands towards Mando himself. You blinked in surprise but didn't stop him, and Mando hesitantly accepted the child into his lap. 

With your hands now free you shifted uncertainly from foot to foot. 

"I...suppose I should look for the bacta, shouldn't I?" You asked, and Mando nodded, still preoccupied with the infant in his lap.

"In the med kit above the bunk." He offered. "Bandages too."

You turned, casting a lingering glance over your shoulder at the brawny hunter and squirming toddler in his lap before reaching to fetch the bulky kit on the shelf above Mando's bunk. When you brought it back over however, Mando made no motion to remove his armor or flight suit and allow you to treat his burns. Instead he looked at you, as if waiting for you.

"I can't treat you unless you take all that off." You frowned, and Mando tilted his head at you. 

"Who said the med kit was for me?" He asked plainly, a small tint of confusion to his voice. You stared back at him, puzzled. 

"You just got shot with the pulse rifle." You replied, still trying to reason with his logic. "My injuries are pretty superficial compared to that."

Mando shifted so he fully turned to face you, gently removing the infant from his lap, and placing the child beside him. The infant made a sound of displeasure but didn’t try to reclaim his position.

"It's a medical hazard to have you try and help me when you are still covered in blood." He pointed out calmly. "I'm not letting you treat me until your wounds have been dressed." 

As much as you wanted to argue, Mando's argument and tone left little room for compromise. You frowned harder at him, trying to summon the words to argue, but eventually decided that this was one of the battles you would have to concede. Instead, you held out your bloodied hand, the cut from the thrown vibroblade still stinging in your palm.

Mando was surprisingly delicate as he balanced your hand against his thigh, reaching and rummaging through the med kit. It was only once he drew off his gloves that he seemed to realize that he too, was sporting a small gash on the inside of his palm as well. You shot him a sly look, taking the bacta smear and bandage from him before he could protest. 

It wasn’t the first time you had seen his hands, but it fascinated you nonetheless. No doubt you'd never see his face under the helmet, understand what he truly looked like. Yet in this you could catch a single glimpse of the man under the armor, could draw conclusions against the lines of his calloused palms. 

"How did you get this?" You asked quietly as you worked. 

"A girl." He replied, voice hoarse inside his helmet. "I was trying to talk her out of a cage. I think I must have scared her."

You let out a small huff, not bothering to hide the small upwards tug of your lips. "You are scary." You pointed out, fastening the bandage securely. 

Mando paused, as if choosing his next words carefully. "You aren't scared of me." He spoke at last, almost hesitantly. 

"I don't need to be." Your voice was low, soft, speaking as if you had made an uncertain confession. 

Mando didn't reply, once again taking your hand and wiping away the blood. As he reached for the bacta smear he finally broke his silence. 

"You're good at this." He remarked, nodding to his bandaged hand. 

You smiled in self-satisfaction, the expression pleasant but fleeting. "You learn a lot fending for yourself." You replied. "I had lots of chances to practice on myself and others when I was a kid and later when I worked for the gang."

By this point you expected Mando to nod once, choosing again to be silent and leave the conversation there. However, instead he seemed to take in your words, let them settle in him before replying. 

"I had to practice this as a child too."

You felt your eyebrow almost vanish into your hairline at his sudden voluntary remark, and into the sudden glimpse of his past. You tried to summon a reply, still flabbergasted at his sudden shift in demeanor, when he went on. 

"Mandalorian children begin training at an early age." He continued. "Usually no older than some of the children we rescued."

"Why so young?" You asked, voice only barely above a whisper. You were afraid if you spoke too loudly, if you moved too quickly then it would scare him away, make him retreat once more behind those walls of his. 

The slow, methodical wrapping of your hand was almost soothing as he weighed his reply. "There is much to learn." He offered at last. "The younger you start, the likelier you are to survive and pass on your knowledge to the next generation."

You considered this. You didn't know much of Mandalorian culture, only the thing you had heard from travelers and from Mando himself. You did know that the society was built around battle, victory, and glory. It made sense that a culture so closely affiliated with aspects of combat would place a heavy emphasis on the survival of their children so as to breed warriors capable of surviving and raising their own progeny in kind. 

"It must have been hard." You offered as Mando closed the clasps on your bandage. You flexed it experimentally, feeling the wrapping resist and give as you tried it. 

"It was." He conceded, sitting back and watching you. You squirmed a little under his gaze, realizing his next treatment would require you to remove your shirt while you faced him. 

You turned and tried to give yourself some privacy as you unfastened the clasps on your work overalls, the ones you had worn since Kaddak, letting them fall off your shoulders. Your shirt came next, and you winced as you stretched up your arms, feeling the slash on your side open with the motion. Mando waited patiently, head slightly turned away as you undressed to your undergarments and exposed the red wound on your side. 

"This might sting." Mando murmured as you adjusted back towards him. Before you could ask there was a sharp pinch on the inside of your elbow as he injected an antibiotic pen. You felt the medication burn hotly through your veins for a moment before settling. In the time it took for the sudden flare to fade, Mando had begun wiping away the blood from the gash. You averted your eyes as he worked, feeling a warmth to your face that you couldn't attribute to the medicine. 

His bare hands were still slightly cold as they skimmed the place just below your rib cage, the cleaning gel sending a small shiver up your flesh upon contact. You lifted your arm for him to see, trying to ignore his head bent to inspect the long, somewhat shallow slice that curved around your side. 

As he did you felt a small tug on your other side, turning to see the child staring up at you with wide eyes. You lifted him into your lap, letting him snuggle into you as Mando retrieved the necessary supplies to address the cut. The child seemed to have settled somewhat after you two had sat down, and now simply basked in the comfort of having his two guardians safe at last. It didn't draw your eyes away from Mando continued to clean away the blood from the gash. You could still feel the heat from his body and armor radiate off his form, merely a breath away from you.

"Is that why you like kids?" You asked, desperately trying to distract yourself from just how _close_ he was. Mando's head jerked up to you, fingers stilling as his body language radiated confusion.

You blinked, a little surprised. "I mean, that's why you rescued the kid, right?" You tried to elaborate. The child seemed to realize he was being discussed and made a small ‘patoo’ of curiosity. "That's part of the reason why you agreed to this job, at least."

Mando remained still for a moment longer, then resumed his motions of dressing your wound. His silence stretched on, and for a moment you were sure he wouldn't reply at all. You had almost given up hope by the time he had secured a bacta patch over the gash, leaning back to view his handiwork. 

"I...was like them, once." He spoke, and you didn't want to breath with how oddly vulnerable he sounded all the sudden. "I had my home taken from me."

He remained still a moment longer, finishing whatever the thought was that followed that sentence. Eventually he turned, allowing you to don your shirt once more. As you did he began to remove his armor. The process was tedious, made slower by his pained and sluggish movements. After a minute or so of watching him struggle you gently scooted closer, reaching for the clasps to his armor plating and carefully removing them to set them aside. Even then you had to work at his flight suit, his cape, his bracers, then his undershirt, until finally his torso and arms were bare to you. 

You couldn't help but suck in a breath at the sight. His skin was welted, discolored from the electric shock. Snaking stripes of pale flesh had crawled across his warmly toned torso and side, giving way to oozing bloodied burns that concentrated where his armor belonged. You paused, rightfully horrified, trying to understand how he was even still _conscious_ with how bad the pain must have been.

"You need a kolto tank." You breathed, afraid to even _touch_ him. 

"Don't have one." He grunted, and even as he tried you could hear the pain in his voice. "Just...do the best you can."

You swallowed hard, again removing the child from your lap and placing him at your side so you could work. Then you began fishing for and finding a pain killer injector from the box. It seemed a little dusty, but not past its expiration. It would have to do. You offered it to him, and he took it gratefully before stabbing it in his bicep with a small, stifled groan. You waited a minute, watching for the moment his shoulders eased as the medication worked, before beginning. 

He flinched at first as you smeared the bacta along the rivulets of burns on his skin. Trying to distract him, you spoke again. 

"What did you mean?" You asked, hoping you weren't pushing too hard on the topic. "When you had your home taken from you."

This time Mando stilled, and you were entirely certain he would give an enigmatic response before letting the exchange between you trail off. Again, however, he surprised you with his response. 

"I...wasn't always a Mandalorian." He spoke, words halting and uncertain. This time _you_ paused, the tips of your fingers pausing in covering one of the larger burns across his pectoral. The revelation made you part your lips in wonder, shocked with this sudden secret being laid bare before you.

His head was bent to observe you, body entirely too close. For a moment you wished _you_ had a helmet to cover the rising warmth on your face that reached all the way to the tips of your ears. Still, you tried to continue as you spoke, words quiet in response to his wavering tone. 

"What were you?" You asked, voice hovering above a whisper. 

"A child."

You blinked, remaining silent and allowing him to continue. it was an odd subversion of your usual interaction with the hunter, but you felt somehow that he _needed_ to speak, to bestow this story upon you. 

"I am...I was a foundling." He elaborated. "Rescued and adopted by a Mandalorian when the Empire devastated my planet."

You felt yourself soften at the words, the story a common one to what you had heard over and over again. Yet it struck an odd familiarity to you, one that you couldn't place. 

"I was raised in the fighting corps." He went on. "Treated as one of their own."

You nodded, satisfied with your attempts at the bacta and now reaching for the wide woven bandage roll tucked into the med kit. 

"Your clan." You realized aloud, fingers hovering above the gauze. "The one you spoke of before."

He nodded in a silent affirmation. You felt your face fall, the image of a small child standing alone amidst a ravaged world tugging at your chest. In it you saw the mirror image of yourself, small and dirty as you gazed wordlessly out onto the dark and busy streets of Kaddak. Two different people, two different planets and backgrounds, but each possessing the same story.

"You must have had to leave behind everything." You murmured, gently prodding his arm and lifting it to wrap the bandage fully around his shoulders and chest. You blinked, finally being able to gaze past the wounds and realize just how muscular of a build the hunter possessed. Stars, no wonder the Clawdite didn’t seem to want to take him head-on.

Mando only shook his head with a small movement. "There was nothing left for me." He murmured. "I only took my name with me."

You finally finished, sitting again in front of him. At this height you were almost level with the bottomless black of his visor, as deep and dark as the vast expanse of space. As glad as you were to not witness the face under the helmet, you couldn't help but be curious as to what his eyes looked like in this moment. The ship was silent around you, the child leaning into your side as he too looked up at the warrior. You felt oddly vulnerable like this, your conversation spoken in hushed confidence and in such close proximity. Despite Mando's words he felt impossibly far away, as if each new fact you learned drew him further away from you. You had so many questions, soul wanting nothing less in this moment to reach out and touch his own in comfort for you both. 

And yet, you couldn't help but ask a single query, praying that perhaps he would answer you.

"And what is your name?"

Mando didn’t move, didn't shy away from you, didn’t retreat behind those invisible walls he had so carefully constructed to keep you away from him. Instead he looked at you completely, as if suddenly recognizing you for the first time. In the silence you could almost hear his breaths inside his helmet, harmonizing with the rapid flutter of your heartbeat. The colors of the ship faded around you, drawing themselves to saturate the silver of his beskar and bronze reflection of the cargo lights above. In this singular moment you felt that tenuous connection between you sing with a vibrant unspoken energy, one you could not entirely explain. 

"Din." He murmured, so low you almost thought it was a sigh. "Din Djarin."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smellmeeve: It's chapter 15 and they haven't held hands yet  
> Me: //writes an entire 1000 words were they literally bandage each others hands ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
> 
> Aaaand scene.  
> THIS ARC TOOK SO LONG?!  
> I think this arc alone is probably...30k words? Maybe more? Wild.  
> Anyways thanks for reading the remainder of the Rishi Arc! I really enjoyed sharing this with you guys and seeing everyone's reactions to all the plot twists I had planned out. 
> 
> Again huge thank you to Smellmeeve/okcoldplay on Tumblr who literally sat with me and read through this chapter to make sure I wasn't getting Din out of character, that things were flowing right, etc'.   
> Plus a huge HUGE shoutout to everyone who has given kudos, bookmarked, commented, or even simply read this fic. I checked the other day on the Din Djarin/Reader tag on Ao3 and sorted by Kudos and...found that this fic is now ranked on page 2 of results. I am simply BLOWN AWAY by all the love this fic has received. I never imagined it doing this well and I am continuously amazed by all of the wonderful feedback. There's so many comments nowadays I don't have the time to properly respond to them all. I just want you all to know that everyone who comments has my everlasting love and even if I don't reply, your feedback makes my heart sing. 
> 
> That being said, this fic will now be taking a hiatus for a little bit while I plan/organize the next arc and focus on some short term stuff. There will be two mini-chapters coming soon to fill the void, each aimed at being a transition into the next arc but a lot shorter than the stuff I've been posting. 
> 
> If you aren't following me on tumblr at Sprout-Fics, I recommend you do so to stay up to date on future arcs, short stories, and soon, a 100 follower celebration giveaway! Give me a follow there for details to be announced soon. 
> 
> Finally, (and kudos to you if you have read this far), I want to again stress that I have a Ko-fi account. I've seen a few people say that they feel that they should be paying to read this/that they want to support me/etc'. By going to (https://ko-fi.com/sproutfics) You can make a single donation of $1 or as much as you would like. This hobby takes a good chunk of my time, and that's something I have less of now that I'm juggling grad school apps, work, and online classes. When you donate, it allows me to allocate more time towards writing, and less time between chapter updates! It also funds my grad school applications, which can get very expensive very quickly ^^;
> 
> Thank you again for reading, and I'll see you all soon, I promise!


	16. Part Nine: The Lagoon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The shadow stopped just short of the waterfall, growing darker as it neared the surface. A small burst of bubbles floated upwards a moment before the thing revealed itself. 
> 
> Before _you_ revealed yourself.
> 
> Din felt all his limbs go stiff, blood pressure rising as he realized what he was looking at. Even though only your head and shoulders were visible, it was very clear that you were as bare as the day you had been born. 
> 
> Karking _hell-_

Soft dirt crunched under Din's boots as he wandered further into the jungle. His pace was slow, muscles still twinging from his injuries of several days prior. It had taken a considerable amount of effort to get dressed in his usual clothes, sans the beskar armor. The heavy fabric was not kind to his skin in the hot and humid jungles of Rishi, ensuring that a thing sheen of sweat covered his whole body. It only further irritated the burns decorating his entire body. Still, after days of tending to the now scabbing burns, Din had reached a point where he couldn't take it anymore.

He needed a karking bath. 

With the fresher on the Razorcrest letting out only an intermittent burst of water on the best of days, it meant Din had to pursue alternative options. Which is why now, as he emerged from the underbrush to the morning lit clearing, that he gazed out upon a small lagoon. 

It was large, enough so that any visitors would likely not spot him in the shadows of the waterfall on the far side of the stream. The emerald green foliage of the jungle, lit brightly by the rising sun, framed the sparkling blue waters of the estuary with a babbling beckon for Din to shed his remaining layers and dive in.

An inadvertent sigh left him. A humid planet, least of all a _humid_ planet, was not kind to those constantly trekking through dense forests wearing beskar. The temptation of the lagoon had been taunting him for days, but Din had needed to wait until his burns had healed enough for him to indulge himself. 

He had waited until you had left for the morning, taking the child with you, and likely going off to entertain some of the younger villagers who had taken such a keen liking to you. Ankau's sister in particular had begun tailing you everywhere you went after her rescue from the traffickers. He wasn't sure how, but somehow you possessed a magnetic charm that had earned you an easy familiarity with most of the villagers, and it showed. 

Din admitted it was nice seeing you relaxed and happy as the days went on. Far away from the reaches of the Empire or Republic, the village was a safe haven for you three. Without the constant pressure of being chased, Din too could find himself easing into a daily ritual. It reminded him of Sorgan, of Omera and Cara and the easy days after the invaders had been defeated. Din knew that the time was coming soon where the three of you would have to leave again, continue on in the hopes that the hunters after you and the child wouldn't catch up, but you had time yet before that arrived.

In the meantime Din could watch you as you helped a younger villager lift a basket of fruit to her home, or talk for hours on end to Ankau, who's ever persistent curiosity of the world beyond the village made him an easy companion. In the hours between dusk and sleep you would sit with Din and the child inside the Razorcrest, speaking softly as Din's charge slowly drifted off to sleep. In the orange glow of the fire outside the ship Din could see the way your face relaxed into a warm smile. It touched a part of him that he didn't realize existed before, stirring a gentle and unfamiliar longing in his chest. 

Then there were the moments when Din struggled to undo the bandages covering his torso, trying to treat the snaking electrical burns that were slowly easing into silvery pink scars. More than once you had found him as he attempted to re-wrap the bandages and had come to his aid, nimble mechanic hands skimming over his bare back as he suppressed a shiver. It was strange, having someone so close while he was so vulnerable. It was mutual, however. After all, as Din had borne his scars to you after that day, so had you to him. The matching slice on both of your palms was evidence enough of that.

There were moments between you two in which you circled ever closer to each other, like a pair of twin suns drawn together by gravity. Yet every time the odd peace between you two began to lengthen, voices lowering and speaking of things past and dreams had, Din would force himself away. He couldn't explain it, not yet at least. As much as he enjoyed the quiet moments in your presence, the crackling of a nighttime fire filling the comfortable space between the two of you, he couldn't help a strange feeling of unease. 

It felt wrong, in a way. Din had long since sworn to work alone, and the habit was a hard one to break. Too many years of fallen allies and friends turned traitors bore down on him. You had proved yourself more than once, but the lingering unease of simply having someone occupy the same space unsettled Din. Yet when you had spoken to him on the Razorcrest, that night filled with war drums and orange torches lighting the village, he couldn't bear to lie to you. He wanted you to stay, even as he desperately tried to deny himself.

So, the uneasy peace between the two of you persisted. Din could tell you were puzzled by the way he suddenly departed from the campfire at night or gave you short-handed answers at questions. It likely confused you as to why he had suddenly retreated back into the barrier he had erected between the two of you, even after revealing his name. It was because, more than anything, Din could feel a strange sense akin to guilt gnawing at his stomach.

Guilt at betraying his silent promise to work alone, guilt at allowing you to stay, guilt at speaking his own name to you, guilt that he had _wanted_ to. 

It went against everything he knew. Secrecy, anonymity, silence was the key to survival for his culture. Yet he had confided in you, going against the culture he had been taught and the lessons he had learned. More than that, he had done so willingly, wanting to see you ever closer and wanting you to know him simultaneously. He was sure Paz Vizsla and his clan would laugh at him for his odd fascination with you, with an outsider. Still, a part of Din didn't care.

To travel with someone who wouldn't betray him, who trusted him, and he trusted in turn, someone who even in their own self-interest had decided against leaving him, was a foreign but welcome warmth inside Din's chest. One that he couldn't explain, couldn't understand and desperately tried to ignore. 

He needed to scrub his thoughts off of him like the growing scabs over his wounds, wash away the conflict in his mind and resolve himself once more. It was in that spirit that Din had left soon after you had for the morning, slinking away into the woods with soap and towel in hand.

Din stood at the edge of the pool, taking in the sight of the lagoon again before slowly beginning to remove his flight suit. The prickle of heat sent a bead of sweat crawling down his spine. 

Just as he had finished removing his suspenders something caught the corner of his eye . Instantly his gaze shifted, hand snapping instinctively to his holster and reaching for the blaster there. 

A shadow moved under the water's surface, winding its way towards the blue waterfall as Din watched it. Wariness shifted in his thoughts, muscles coiled in readiness. He was almost certain that there weren't any water-borne predators this close to the village, but he couldn't be certain. Slick creatures with slender bodies and sharp teeth could easily have wandered too close to the village without any of the hunters being aware. If that was true, Din might be caught trying to fend one off despite his injuries.

The shadow stopped just short of the waterfall, growing darker as it neared the surface. A small burst of bubbles floated upwards a moment before the thing revealed itself. 

Before _you_ revealed yourself.

Din felt all his limbs go stiff, blood pressure rising as he realized what he was looking at. Even though only your head and shoulders were visible, it was very clear that you were as bare as the day you had been born. Water dripped from your hair as you stretched your bare arms upward, skin slick with moisture.

Karking _hell-_

Din was so surprised that for a moment he couldn't tear himself away, watching as you easily paddled to the shore where a set of clothes was stacked alongside a small bag of soaps and herbs. He continued to stare despite himself, despite the fact that you didn't even see him and hoisted yourself onto the stream bank, revealing your naked shoulders and back and-

Din turned abruptly, the Rishi heat incomparable to the blush that flamed across his face and all the way down to his stomach.

The motion caused some of the foliage around him to rustle, alerting you to the fact that you weren't alone.

He heard you pause, likely still halfway out of the pool and turned towards the source of the sound.

_Shit, shit, shit-_

"Is someone there?" You called, and Din wanted to crawl into the dark damp soil of the planet to hide himself. "Hello?"

It took every ounce of self-control he had to not rip his helmet off and press the cool metal of his bracers to his flaming cheeks, shame and embarrassment turning his face a bright scarlet. Gods, he begged. Just smite him there. Forget about protecting you and the kid, just let him die right there in the shade of the Rishi jungle.

"Hello?" You called again, voice tinting with fear.

"I-it's me." Din called at last from his hiding place, stubbornly turned away from the pool and your figure. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't realize-"

"D-did you see?" You interjected, shrill voice doing nothing to hide the scandalization in your tone.

"No!" Din replied instantly, his own voice matching yours in terms of embarrassment. It was only a half-lie. "I...I saw your shoulders and back. That's all, I-I promise."

He wished he could thunk himself hard enough on the tree trunk to his back in hopes of purging himself of the memory, shame at letting his gaze linger a little too long washing over him. Yet as if cursing him the image of the water sliding off your hair and shoulders down to your waist replayed in his mind over and over again.

You were silent for a long moment, and Din was already summoning his reaction to accusations of _pervert_ and _sleemo_ from you. He felt like every one of them even as he cradled his helmeted head in his hands with a stifled groan. 

However instead you surprised him by letting out a nervous laugh.

"I...I guess I should have told you where I was going." You offered, and if anything, Din felt worse. 

"I'm sorry." He called again in reply, voice almost petulant. Even if you did forgive him he doubted he'd accept it. He didn't deserve it, not after continuing to look and even now for the warmth pooling in his gut as his brain conjured the rest of your figure beneath the water's surface.

Surely the Empire, with all their technological superiority, had found a way to rewind time or at least erase memories, right? Right?

Din blinked, realizing that if you both were here then-

"The kid?" he asked and winced at how _choked_ his voice sounded when he spoke. 

"Sleeping." Came your immediate reply. "I have Ankau and his little sister watching him, don't worry."

That did at least let him breathe a sigh of relief, even if his body didn't relax at all. 

"I-I'll just go-" He stuttered, despite the fact that a cold dunk in the lagoon was probably the best thing for him at the moment. Yet as he moved to stand and walk back to the Razorcrest, your voice stopped him.

"Wait!"

He paused, still faced away from the pool, but listening to your voice.

"I was um...I was almost done." You called. "If you could um- j-just wait a minute then I can go and you- you can have a turn..." You trailed off, and then quickly added "Just so long as you don't look."

He shouldn't. He really, _really_ shouldn't.

"I...I can wait." Din said instead, and instantly thunked his helmet against the trunk behind him at the words escaping him. 

"What was that sound?"

"Nothing." He groaned, feeling the impact rattle his brain. He was damned. He was well and truly damned.

You paused, and Din could tell you weren't convinced, but eventually he heard you slip back into the water with a small splash. Instantly his mind unhelpfully summoned an image of just your neck and shoulders bobbing above the sparkling blue lagoon waters, face just as flushed as his own and eyes wide like a doe as his gaze met yours. 

Kriff.

"Are-um. Are your burns okay?" Your voice asked, and Din was grateful for the distraction. 

"They're fine." He replied. "...and a little itchy."

"Ah. It makes sense why you'd want a bath then." You offered, and there was some small splashing as you continued to bathe. Din resisted the temptation to look again, curiosity gnawing at him like a massif chewing on a bantha bone. "It must hurt still, I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Din returned. "You...did a good job treating them."

"O-oh. I'm...I'm glad."

The silence lingered again between you two, filled only by the gentle babbling of the waterfall. Din wasn't sure how much more he could take, desperately needing a cold relief despite the fact that you were still in the water. 

"Do you mind, um, if we maybe take a trip into town at some point?" You asked hesitantly. "My clothes...they got torn when I was fighting. I've been relying on...on a shirt I found in your bunk"

Din blinked, remembering the thin slice across your abdomen that he had dressed. The rest of the memory filled in for him, periphery revealing the curve of your waist even as he had kept his eyes trained on the wound. Dank ferrick, he really was a _besom_ , a pervert. 

"Yes." He said instead. Even if he didn't have the credits for it, he couldn't have you walking around the Razorcrest half exposed like that. His own embarrassment aside, he was sure you'd be humiliated at the situation as well.

Yet the image of you in nothing but his spare shirt conjured a deep unrelenting heat in his gut. Din forced himself to breathe, the air in his helmet suddenly stale.

"Thank you." You returned, and if only you knew the thoughts in his head right now you wouldn't have bothered.

You shouldn't have to thank him, his mind offered. You deserved that much for everything you had done so far. If anything, you deserved more than a spare set of clothes. Maybe an actual mattress for your small bunk, or even some armor to prevent the same incident from happening again, or even some decent hygiene items so you didn't have to rely on scavenged herbs to wash away the sweat from the jungle planet. What did they even smell like anyways?

Probably better not to let the thought linger.

"Mando?"

Din blinked. You had surprised him by continuing to call him that despite learning his name. It was almost as if you realized he was uncertain about it and had opted for a more comfortable term. For a split second Din wished you would call him by his name, a hand beckoning you towards the pool...

He thunked his head on the trunk again, with force this time. 

"Mando?" You called again, concerned. 

"I'm here." He called back, mouth dry. 

"I'm just about done. I need to get dressed and then you can come out."

_Don't._ He told himself the second the thought of you getting dressed passed his mind. _Do not._

"Take your time." He supplied instead despite the growing urgency of _needing_ to get in the water. 

He could hear the sound of you slipping out of the pool like a water nymph, likely curled up on the mossy embankment as you dried off. Each moment that passed was torture, and it was all Din could do to breathe and _not look._

"Do you need me to help you with your bandages?" You asked, and Din bit back a groan.

"N-no. I'll be fine. Thank you." 

You hummed, and Din could hear you gather your things. "Okay, I'm all done. You can come out now."

"I-I'll wait until you go." Din replied. 

"You sure?"

"Yes." And Din was begging whatever superior power lay in the heavens that you would just _go._ "S-sorry, again."

"It's okay." You replied, voice a little soft. "I...appreciate you being honest."

You definitely wouldn't be if you knew half the images Din had conjured during the rest of your bathe. Yet finally Din could hear you slip off into the underbrush, traveling back in the direction of the jungle and keeping a wide berth of the lagoon. 

He waited an extra minute after your steps had faded before practically tearing off his helmet to gasp for air. The humidity of the jungle was a cool relief to his burning, scandalized expression. It took even a few more minutes for Din to fully compose himself and resume discarding his layers. 

Then, slipping into the cool relief of the lagoon, he held his breath and sank to the very bottom of the stream in hopes the cold silence of the water would drown out his churning, brazen thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Din, lol. Hope you guys enjoyed our poor beskar boi caught up in his own thoughts ;)
> 
> Arc Three coming soon!

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed reading, please leave a kudos and a comment. Your feedback is very valuable to me.


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